The “Support to the Electoral Cycle in Albania” action aims to support a democratic, transparent, and inclusive election process in Albania. The action focuses on strengthening the independence and institutional capacity of the Central Election Commission (CEC) and fostering inclusive participation of civil society and media organisations in the electoral processes, aiming at embedding sustainable practices in electoral administration. Enhancing the professionalism and impartiality of the electoral administration, as well as establishing a structured policy dialogue between the CEC and civil society organizations (CSOs), would lead to increased public confidence in the electoral process, institutions and their legitimacy. The proposed interventions are fully in line with the strategic priorities of the CEC (2022-2026) and build on previous electoral assistance initiatives and expertise of the Council of Europe. The joint action is co-funded by the European Union under the framework of the Instrument for Pre-Accession (IPA) III - Action ‘EU for Democracy’ to contribute to inclusive democracy in Albania in the context of EU accession.

What are the objectives of the action?

• Reinforce the democratic and independent functioning of the CEC and to sustain election administration reforms and processes in line with European Union and international standards; 
• Enhance the participation and facilitate the contribution of the civil society and media organisations in the decision-making process;
• Reinforce public trust in elections and promote informed, democratic participation.

Who benefits from the action?

• Central Election Commission in Albania;
• Members of the election administration;
• Civil society organizations;
• Media organizations /journalists;
• Youth, young and first-time voters, women, national minorities, people with special needs and other vulnerable groups;
• Citizens of Albania.

What are the action main activities?

The action will particularly contribute to further guarantee the free and fair election processes by:

• Supporting the establishment of an independent and professional Continuous Training and Education Centre (CTEC) for election administration, along with relevant capacities and tools.
• Improving transparency of political party financing and prevention of misuse of state resources by strengthening the CEC’s oversight capacity and mechanisms.
• Strengthening the CEC’s ICT regulatory framework and safeguards.
• Improving voters’ education and inclusive participation in elections.
• Institutionalising and strengthening the policy dialogue between the CEC, CSOs and media organisations.
• Enhancing the capacities of CSOs and media organisations to effectively engage in policymaking, reporting, and monitoring.

What do we expect to achieve?

• Strengthened CEC institutional capacity and democratic governance;
• Increased civil society and media participation in election oversight and policymaking.
• Improved public trust in electoral processes and institutions.
• More balanced media coverage and informed voter choices.

How does the action work?

• Through a combination of tailored capacity development activities, creation of new training and education methodologies, training of trainers, development of e-learning modules.
• Support through grants, ICT tools, research/policy review, awareness raising activities, networking and peer-to-peer exchanges.

What is the budget of the action?

• The total action budget is 2,223,000 EUR, co-funded by the European Union (90%) and Council of Europe (10%).

What is the action duration?

• The action runs for 36 months (July 2025 – July 2028) and will be implemented by the Council of Europe

How to get more information?

• Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
• Council of Europe Office in Tirana
• Delegation of the European Union to Albania

The Action is co-funded by the European Union and Council of Europe and will be implemented by the Council of Europe.