News on ensuring justice
From Losing Hope to Finding Legal Certainty: A Journey to Claim Your Property Rights in Albania
The small apartment on the second floor of a former communist-era building, located in a main road not far from the centre of the capital Tirana is always busy. Under the watchful eyes of concerned citizens, the officials of Tirana Legal Aid Society (TLAS) explain procedures in a simplified...
Albania’s School of Magistrates attends the 2025 HELP Conference in Strasbourg on the harmonisation of legal training
Ador Koleka, senior representative of the School of Magistrates of Albania, has joined legal professionals and judicial training institutions from across Europe at the 2025 Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals (HELP) Network Conference, taking place in Strasbourg on 3–4 July. The...
Pilot courts share solutions to improve daily court practice in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Building on earlier work with five pilot courts, a two-day workshop held on 9–10 February 2026 brought fresh momentum to discuss daily court practices in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Three newly appointed pilot courts from Mostar, Modriča and Žepče joined the initiative, alongside representatives of...
Constitutional and Supreme Court advisers bring Strasbourg experience into Serbia’s judiciary
As a part of its efforts to enhance national implementation of the European Convention on Human Rights, the action “Strengthening human rights protection in Serbia” has been supporting placements of Serbian legal professionals in the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR). For Milan Bajić and...
Council of Europe and Albanian public authorities step up co-operation towards more inclusive education in Korça
Senior representatives from the Council of Europe Office in Tirana, public institutions and local authorities met in Korça to discuss progress on the execution of the European Court judgement about the segregation of Roma and Egyptians pupils in “Naim Frashëri” school (‘X and Others v. Albania’...
Albanian prison service to pilot 'Cognitive Behavior Therapy' in four prisons
The European Union and Council of Europe are assisting the Albanian Prison Service in introducing a Cognitive Behavior Treatment (CBT) programme, to better prepare prisoners for release. A follow-up capacity-building activity took place in Tirana on 28-29 January, bringing together prison...
Communication Strategy of the State Prosecutor’s Office and Prosecutorial Council for 2026–2028 adopted in Montenegro
The Communication Strategy of the State Prosecution and the Prosecutorial Council for the period 2026 - 2028 was recently adopted by the Prosecutorial Council of Montenegro, setting out measures to strengthen co-operation with the media and establish a more proactive approach to informing...
Strengthening safeguards against torture in North Macedonia: Judges and Prosecutors exchange in Ohrid
Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights states that "No one shall be subjected to torture or to inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment." To strengthen the application of this principle at the domestic level, sixteen judges, senior prosecutors, investigators, advisors, and...
Montenegro strengthens efforts towards a co-ordinated victim support system
In line with the recently adopted Strategy for the Protection of Victims’ Rights, Montenegro has initiated activities aimed at establishing an efficient and coordinated system of services for victim support. As part of this process, an expert mission took place from 19–23 January, with the...
Montenegro adopts Victims’ Rights Strategy
The Government of Montenegro has adopted the Victims’ Rights Strategy and Action Plan, marking a significant milestone as the country’s first comprehensive strategy that provides an overall framework for the protection of all victims of crime. The Strategy establishes a systematic and long-term...
Promoting ethical and gender-sensitive reporting on human trafficking cases in North Macedonia
Law Students from Legal Clinics in North Macedonia learn to provide Free Legal Aid
Legal clinics authorised to provide primary legal aid play a vital role in ensuring access to justice and upholding human rights in line with European standards. In a continued effort to strengthen their capacities to provide free legal aid for the most vulnerable communities, 13 law students...
Guidelines for victims’ compensation presented in Montenegro
The Guidelines for exercising the right to compensation to victims in criminal proceedings (for criminal cases of trafficking in human beings, domestic violence, war crimes, and other criminal cases) were presented during a roundtable held on 22 December 2025 in Podgorica. The document is...
Supporting stronger communication between courts and citizens in Montenegro
Under the framework of the joint European Union and the Council of Europe Horizontal Facility Programme and its action „Strengthening accountability of the judicial system and enhancing protection of victims' rights in Montenegro” the new Action Plan for implementing the Communication Strategy of...
Visual Art Exhibition & Panel Discussion
“Let’s bring justice closer to the citizens” marked the 30th Anniversary of the membership of North Macedonia in the Council of Europe
To mark the European Day of Justice and the 30th anniversary since North Macedonia joined the Council of Europe, the Council of Europe Programme Office in Skopje with the support from the European Union, organised a public event to highlight the importance of equal access to justice for all, by...
Children’s corner supported by the EU and the Council of Europe inaugurated in Idrizovo Prison
Idrizovo Prison, the largest penitentiary facility in North Macedonia, now has a dedicated children’s corner for young visitors and the families of inmates. Located in the visitors’ area, the children’s corner provides a safe and welcoming environment during family visits. Representatives of...
Judges enhance their knowledge on Free Legal Aid and Access to Justice in civil and administrative cases
In a bid to enhance access to justice for citizens, a group of 15 judges from North Macedonia strengthened their knowledge of the free legal aid framework and improved their skills in applying free legal aid standards within civil and administrative procedures. Supported by the European Union and...
Montenegro sets out to improve coordination in responding to violence against women and domestic violence
With the aim of strengthening the institutional response to domestic violence through improved coordination among relevant stakeholders, Montenegro has officially initiated work on revising the Protocol on Actions, Prevention of and Protection against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence...
Strengthening prison and probation systems in the Western Balkans
The Western Balkans will continue to enhance prison and probation structures to manage violent extremist offenders (VEOs) and prevent radicalisation after release. This conclusion was reached at the 6th Steering Committee meeting of the regional action “Enhancing co-operation in the Western...
Kosovo Correctional Service to integrate Council of Europe methodology for managing violent extremist offenders
Kosovo Correction Service (KCS) has taken further steps toward integrating the Council of Europe’s methodology for working with violent extremist offenders (VEOs), bringing together prison practitioners, management representatives and experts to prepare for full scale implementation across the...
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