A delegation of the European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) visited Albania in a mission to improve the efficiency of the judicial system in Albania through strengthening data collection and analysis tools.

CEPEJ representatives had a series of fruitful meetings in Tirana with high representatives from the Ministry of Justice the High Councils of Judges and Prosecutors, the Office of the Prosecutor General, the High Inspector of Justice, and the National Chamber of Mediation. Discussions focused on refining judicial statistics collection and enhancing their use in the judicial system.

The CEPEJ delegation visited also the district courts of Tirana and Durrës addressing key challenges and discussing concrete measures to improve judicial efficiency within the courts and better meet the needs of the users.  Important discussions focused on how to better deal with the backlog of cases, implement satisfaction surveys and modernise IT systems through the development of digital tools such as the online notification platform for lawyers. A major development in this context is the digital notification platform for lawyers, designed to strengthen communication between the courts, lawyers and users through real-time notifications of summonses and court decisions. This will reduce procedural delays and optimising the participation of all stakeholders.

Finally, the mission also included bilateral exchanges with the Office of the European Union Delegation in Albania, as well as experts from the Eu4Justice project, to to align efforts and explore future co-operation.

This visit is co-organised by the action “Strengthening the Quality and Efficiency of Justice in Albania” (SEJ IV) and the action “Dashboard Western Balkans” part of the European Union/Council of Europe joint programme Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye.