The Ministry of Internal Affairs in co-operation with the Committee on National Minorities organised today in Kukës a roundtable to raise awareness and inform local communities about the procedure of the self-identification as a national minority according to the respective by-laws. Supported by the joint European Union and Council of Europe Action “Advancing the Protection from Discrimination in Albania” and the OSCE Presence in Albania, the event brought together representatives of the Bulgarian, Roma, Egyptian, Macedonian, Serbian minorities, as well as public institutions and civil society organisations.

The activity was opened by Kostantina Beziani - Chairwoman of the Committee on National Minorities, Giulia Re - Head of the Council of Europe Office in Tirana, and Cinzia Tarletti - Head of Sector at the Delegation of the European Union to Albania. In their remarks they emphasised the importance of informed and voluntary self-identification as a key element for ensuring effective protection of minority rights and supporting inclusive decision-making.

During the meeting participants were introduced to two newly developed practical resource materials aimed at facilitating the self-identification process:

• Toolkit for civil society organisations, designed to support minority representatives and community mediators in assisting individuals throughout the process;
• Informative leaflet designed for the general public, and in particular for persons belonging to national minorities, with valuable information on how to complete the self-identification form and where to submit it.

The informative materials were distributed during the event and are available online to ensure broader outreach and accessibility. The roundtable in Kukës also provided space for open discussion, enabling participants to raise questions and exchange views with representatives of the Committee on National Minorities and the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Two additional roundtables will be organised in the forthcoming weeks: in Dropull, on 27 March and in Korça on 31 March. They will further raise awareness of local communities and encourage informed participation in the self-identification process across different regions of Albania following the full adoption of secondary legislation of the Law no. 96/2017 on ‘’The Protection of National Minorities in the Republic of Albania’’.

This initiative is supported by the Action “Advancing the protection from discrimination in Albania” part of the EU and Council of Europe joint programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye”, in cooperation with the OSCE presence in Albania.