The action Protecting freedom of expression and of the media in Albania (PRO-FREX) enables the public institutions and civil society organisations in Albania to progress towards achieving their reform agendas in the fields of freedom of expression and freedom of media, in line with the European standards.

The action is implemented within the joint programme of the European Union and the Council of Europe Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye running from 2023 to 2026 and aims to contribute to an improved environment for the exercise, in particular by journalists and media actors, of their rights on freedom of expression, in a pluralistic and safer media environment.

What is the goal(s) and objective(s) of the action?

  • to promote and protect freedom of expression and of the media in Albania in line with European standards;  
  • to enhance the protection of journalists and contribute to the creation of an enabling, safer, and more pluralistic media environment;
  • to strengthen the skills and knowledge of the institutional actors who are responsible for applying the standards on freedom of expression and media, as part of their daily work;
  • to support journalists and media actors in their self-regulation efforts and in exercising their rights in line with the related duties and responsibilities and the relevant ethical standards.

Who benefits from the action?

  • domestic law and policymakers in the field of freedom of expression;
  • domestic training institutions for legal professionals and law enforcement personnel, such as the School of Magistrates, the Bar Association, the Academy of Security, and the State Police Directorate;
  • Audio-visual Media Authority of Albania (AMA) and their staff;
  • civil society organisations in the field including Albanian Media Council, Alliance for Ethical Media, ResPublica, journalist organisations, etc.;
  • professionals such as judges, prosecutors, police officers, lawyers, broadcasters, journalists, other media actors, university students, and ultimately the Albanian society at large.

How does the action work?

  • by providing legal advice to improve the alignment of legal and regulatory frameworks to the relevant European standards;
  • by providing research and policy support for the public actors in the field;
  • by offering capacity-building activities for various professional categories, anchored in the European standards and the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR);
  • by facilitating local and regional dialogue and exchange of good practices in synergy with the regional action.  

What do we expect to achieve?

  • improved judicial application of the standards on freedom of expression and media deriving from the European Convention on Human Rights and the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights;
  • the professional capacities of the Albanian Audio-visual Media Authority (AMA) are strengthened, and the media community has greater confidence in the role of AMA” in safeguarding freedom of media while maintaining independence and impartiality;
  • media actors, parliamentarians, CSOs, universities, and other relevant stakeholders contribute to building an enabling environment for freedom of expression and freedom of the media.

What is the budget of the action?

  • The total budget of the action is 465,000 EUR;
  • The budget allocated to the overall Horizontal Facility programme amounts to ca. 41 million EUR (85% funded by the European Union, 15% by the Council of Europe).

How to get more information?

About Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye

The “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye 2023-2026” is a joint initiative of the European Union and the Council of Europe that enables the Western Balkans’ Beneficiaries and Türkiye to meet their reform agendas in the fields of human rights, rule of law, and democracy and to comply with the European standards, which is also a priority for the EU enlargement process.