Fair Trials will be hosting an online event to highlight the main findings of the research by Res Publica and Civil Rights Defenders on criminal justice standards in Albania, analysed and presented in the newly published report ‘Roadmap to the EU’. An overview of the findings is available at this link.

This event will take place online via Zoom on Friday 29^th January 2021 at 10:30am-12:00pm CET.

In recent years, Albania has embarked on a major reform process to ensure compatibility of its laws and policies with EU laws, as part of its process of joining the EU. These reforms have included significant changes to its criminal justice system, and in particular, fair trial rights protections, which must meet the standards under EU’s ‘Roadmap’ Directives on procedural rights.

While many of these reforms have resulted in real improvements, the research conducted by Fair Trials and its partners shows that there is still considerable room for improvement, and further changes are needed to ensure the effective protection of crucial defence rights.

This event brings together criminal justice experts from Albania and the EU to discuss:

• The progress of criminal justice law reform in Albania in light of its process of joining the EU;
• Challenges in the implementation of EU legal standards;
• Risks associated with the ineffective implementation of these standards; and
• Further improvements that EU institutions should be expecting from Albania to join the EU.

Panellists will include:

• Laure Baudrihaye-Gerard (Legal Director, Fair Trials Europe)
• Irene Dule (Lawyer, Res Publica)
• Goran Miletic (Director for Europe, Civil Rights Defenders)
• Jordan Daci (Lawyer, Daci & Associates)
• Christophe Marchand (Lawyer, Jus Cogens)

Partners:

This meeting is possible thanks to the financial support of the Justice Programme of the European Union. The contents of this document are the sole responsibility of the author and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Commission.