Work in this thematic area focuses on prisons and police (including human rights in policing, healthcare in prisons and safeguards against torture and ill-treatment), human rights standards in the judiciary (focusing on enhancing the application of case-law of the European Court of Human Rights), the efficiency of justice systems (with a focus on analysing judicial statistics to optimise court administrations) and/or legal co-operation (which concentrate on increasing the individual independence of judges and prosecutors and the accountability of the judicial system).

Back Supreme Court of Albania advances judicial co-operation during visit to the European Court of Human Rights

Strasbourg, France 3 - 5 March 2026
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Supreme Court of Albania advances judicial co-operation during visit to the European Court of Human Rights

A delegation of judges from the Supreme Court of Albania visited the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. This study-visit, organised by the Supreme Court of Albania with the support of European Union and Council of Europe, enhanced judicial co-operation and fostered new opportunities for sharing expertise and best practices between the two courts.

During the visit, Albanian judges discussed key aspects of strengthening judicial practice, in line with European standards. Topics included the effective application of the European Convention on Human Rights by domestic courts and the importance of well-reasoned decisions to ensure legal certainty. These exchanges provided the delegation with practical insights and encouraged a deeper shared understanding of how domestic courts, and the European Court can address common challenges.

The delegation attended the Grand Chamber hearing in the case Tergek vs. Türkiye and exchanged views with judges and members of the Registry on issues such as subsidiarity, the role of domestic courts in preventing Convention violations as well as pre-trial detention and asset-based measures in criminal proceedings.

The visit encouraged direct dialogue and practical learning, marking an important step in enhancing co-operation between Albanian and European judicial institutions. This visit further supports the efforts to ensure protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms in Albania in line with European standards.

The Supreme Court of Albania provided the principal support for the visit. In this framework, the Action on Improving the protection of the right to property and facilitating execution of ECtHR judgments in Albania (D-REX III), part of the European Union and the Council of Europe joint programme Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye , also supported opportunities for dialogue and exchange between delegation of the Supreme Court of Albania and judges of the European Court, notably during a joint roundtable held on 5 March.

 

Actions under theme i: ensuring justice
  • Strengthening the quality and efficiency of justice in Albania - Phase III  
  • Supporting enforcement of judicial decisions and facilitating execution of ECtHR judgments in Albania           
  • Enhancing the protection of human rights of prisoners in Albania  
  • Strengthening human rights treatment of detained persons based on European standards and best practices in Bosnia and Herzegovina  
  • Strengthening the quality and efficiency of justice in Kosovo* -  Phase II  
  • Accountability of the judicial system in Montenegro - Phase II  
  • Improved procedural safeguards in judicial proceedings in Montenegro  
  • Further enhancing human rights protection for detained and sentenced persons in Montenegro  
  • Strengthening independence and accountability of the judiciary in Serbia  
  • Strengthening the effective legal remedies to human rights violations in Serbia  
  • Enhancing the human rights protection for detained and sentenced persons in Serbia  
  • Supporting enhanced access to higher quality Free Legal Aid services in North Macedonia  
  • Enhancing the capacities of the penitentiary system and the external oversight mechanism in North Macedonia                                                                                                                                                                                                 
  • Supporting the implementation and reporting on the Action Plan on Human Rights in Turkey  
  • Judicial training institutes for Quality and Sustainability in the Western Balkans 
  • Initiative for legal certainty in the Western Balkans  
  • Enhancing penitentiary capacities in addressing radicalisation in prisons in the Western Balkans  
  • Towards a better evaluation of the results of judicial reform efforts in the Western Balkans  
  • Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals (HELP) in the Western Balkans 
  • PACE cooperation with the parliamentary assemblies with a view to achieving legislative improvements in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia and Serbia 

*This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence.