As part of the ongoing efforts of the EU and Council of Europe to strengthen the institutional capacity of the Agency for the Treatment of Property (ATP) in managing the backlog more than 7000 pending property compensation claims, a two-day ‘Training of Trainers’ was held in Shkodra, with senior and junior staff of ATP.

The peer-to-peer exchange brought together more than 35 ATP officials, high level representatives from the Ministry of Justice, and legal experts. The training aimed to strengthen their ability to handle pending claims and improve internal processes for more efficient case management.

Through a combination of expert-led sessions and peer to peer interactive discussions, case study analysis and practical exercises, the participants explored key aspects of property compensation procedures, including the latest proposal for amendments to Law 133/2015 “On the treatment of property and conclusion of the property compensation process”. Discussions focused also on the importance of the alignment of domestic practices with the standards set forth by the European Court of Human Rights. The training also emphasised the importance of intra-institutional co-operation, with representatives from the different directorates within the ATP, bringing forward best practices applicable for streamlining administrative procedures.

This initiative is part of a broader ongoing support to enhance the abilities of ATP staff to address the backlog of many outstanding compensation files within a reasonable timeframe, in line with the newly adopted ATP Action Plan (2025–2028). The Action Plan has incorporated the methodology provided by CoE expertise and refers to the requirements of the European Court of Human Rights case law. By strengthening internal capacities of the employees implementing the process, this training contributes to the broader objective of ensuring a fairer, more transparent, and timely compensation procedure for title holders.

This activity is organised in the framework of the action “Improving the protection of the right to property and facilitating the execution of ECtHR judgments in Albania” co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe and implemented by the Council of Europe under the Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye III programme.