Albania and the Council of Europe: celebrating 30 years of strong co-operation in action

Back Albania and the Council of Europe: celebrating 30 years of strong co-operation in action

In 2025, Albania celebrated 30 years of membership in the Council of Europe, three decades of shared commitment to human rights, democracy and the rule of law.

Over this period, the Council of Europe has been a key strategic partner for Albania, delivering expertise and tailored support to advance reforms in critical areas such as justice, good governance, media freedom, and the protection of fundamental rights. This work has directly supported Albania’s progress towards EU accession.

To mark this milestone, Albania’s Permanent Representation to the Council of Europe and the Directorate of Programme Co-ordination (DPC) of the Council of Europe, co-organised the event “Albania and the Council of Europe: A journey towards EU accession”.

Representatives from Albanian institutions, the Council of Europe and the European Union, met to demonstrate the concrete results achieved through years of co-operation and what this means in practice for Albanian citizens in their daily lives.

Opening remarks were delivered by H.E. Dastid Koreshi, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Albania to the Council of Europe, Claus Neukirch, Director of Programme Co-ordination and H.E. Vesna Kos, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the European Union to the Council of Europe.

Factsheet on the results achieved through the technical co-operation between Albania and the Council of Europe

Factsheet on the co-operation work and the results achieved in 2025 by the Council of Europe Office in Tirana

Albania country page on co-operation

Council of Europe Office in Tirana website

Strasbourg, France 28 May 2026

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Albania became member of the Council of Europe on 13 July 1995. Following its accession, a Council of Europe presence headed by the Special Representative of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe was established in Albania, and succeeded, in June 2003, by the establishment of the Information Office of the Council of Europe. Since January 2011, a Council of Europe Office in Tirana is set up as a new institutional form of co-operation.

As representative of the Secretary General in Albania, the Office works to promote the Council of Europe values and standards pertaining to human rights, rule of law and democracy. It facilitates the effective co-operation between the various Council of Europe bodies located in its Headquarters in Strasbourg and the domestic and international partner institutions in Albania.

The work of the Council of Europe in Albania is dedicated to assisting the Albanian authorities to continue bringing the Albanian legislation, its institutional practices and policies fully in line with its obligations stemming from its Council of Europe membership.

European Court of Human Rights

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Behind the scenes, but with real impact, every day the Council of Europe works to achieve common standards for millions of citizens — including in Albania.