The “European Union for Good Governance” project aims to increase the level of transparency in the activities of the Albanian public administration through contemporary community standards and to further promote the fight against corruption. The Information and Data Protection Commissioner’s Office is one of the beneficiaries of Component 4 of this project. Its implementation is expected to strengthen the administrative and professional capacities not only of the institution’s staff, but also of public authorities and interest groups for the implementation of the modernized legal framework of both areas of responsibility.

The launch ceremony of this project took place in the Commissioner’s Office, with the participation of representatives from the EU Delegation in Albania and its experts. The three components of the project are:

⦁ strengthening the institutional capacities and coordinators for the right to information for the effective implementation of Law No. 45/2022 “On the Ratification of the Council of Europe Convention on Access to Official Documents” (Convention 205) and Law No. 33/2022 “On Open Data and the Reuse of Public Sector Information”;

⦁ providing assistance to ensure the effective implementation of the modernized Council of Europe Convention “On the Protection of Individuals with regard to the Automatic Processing of Personal Data” (Convention 108+), included in Albanian legislation with the adoption of Law No. 49/2022;

⦁ supporting coordinators for the right to information, as well as central and local institutions, to improve the handling of information requests for a more effective implementation of the law on the right to information.

For the Commissioner’s Office, EU assistance is important in the function of consolidating institutional activities to ensure the practical exercise of rights by citizens, civil society organizations, and interest groups, enhancing the transparency and accountability of public authorities. This project is also a confirmation of the continuous and effective cooperation between the EU Delegation in Albania and the Commissioner’s Office, within the framework of the integration process, due to the key role and contribution that the institution has in this context.