Joint Programme

Horizontal Facility

In a celebration of emerging legal professionals and regional cooperation, the Council of Europe took part in the Regional Mock Trial Award Ceremony in Tirana, supporting law students from across Albania and the Western Balkans as they sharpened their advocacy skills and deepened their understanding of human rights standards.

Opening the event, Giulia Re, Head of the Council of Europe Office in Tirana, congratulated participants in a recorded message, highlighting the role of experiential learning in building strong and justice driven legal community. "This regional Mock Trial competition brings together the best of what we hope to see in the next generation of legal professionals: talent, energy, and a strong sense of justice," Ms. Re noted.

Organised by the Halimi Law Foundation, the event gathered students from more than 14 public and private universities, showcasing a growing commitment to practical legal training across the region.

This year’s winning team- Bianka Kananaj, Altea Hoxhaj, and Kiara Karabinaj – from the “Ismail Qemali” University in Vlora, secured first place, while Fausta Gjika from “Luarasi University” in Tirana won the second place.

The ceremony marked a tradition of cooperation between the Council of Europe and the Halimi Foundation. In a show of concrete support, the Council of Europe, through the European Union and Council of Europe joint action “Improving the protection of the right to property and facilitating execution of ECtHR judgments in Albania” (D-REX III), is hosting four interns from the winning teams, including the recipient of the Best Speaker Award, at its Office premises in Tirana. These young professionals will spend one month contributing to areas such as property rights and execution of the European Court judgments, freedom of expression, anti-corruption efforts, judicial institutional integrity, democratic citizenship education, etc.

The internship offers an opportunity for law students to translate their advocacy and analytical skills into practical experience supporting Albania’s alignment with European human rights and rule of law standards.

The Action “Improving the protection of the right to property and facilitating execution of ECtHR judgments in Albania” (D-REX III) is part of the regional joint programme of the European Union and the Council of Europe – Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye.