Protection and safety of journalists remains a key concern for the European Union and the Council of Europe which are aiming to address threats against media professionals and foster early warning mechanisms and response capacity within the Council of Europe. In this context, the EU and Council of Europe joint Horizontal Facility action on "Freedom of expression and freedom of the media in Albania (JUFREX)" is collaborating with the Bar Association to raise the capacities of local trainers to apply the standards of Article 10 of the ECHR and the case-law of the ECtHR on the protection of journalists.

Some of the topics discussed during the training were threats to journalists that impact freedom of expression within the Albanian context, Recommendation (2016)4 of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on the protection of journalism and safety of journalists and other media actors, as well as States’ positive obligations to protect journalists and media actors and to investigate and prosecute crimes against them.

Participating trainers discussed cases of the ECtHR and their implications for Albanian cases. One case was selected and discussed in groups. Participants presented their legal reasoning on the case. The trained trainers will have the opportunity to share in the future with fellow legal professionals the acquired knowledge and expertise with regard to the protection and safety of journalists.

This activity was organised with the support of the action "Freedom of expression and freedom of the media in Albania (JUFREX)" which is part of the European Union and Council of Europe joint programme "Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey II".