Upon its entry into force in 2020, the Convention 205 “On Access to Official Documents” of the Council of Europe, also known as the Tromsø Convention, was the first binding international legal instrument to recognise to everyone the right to access official documents held by public authorities. Albania signed and ratified the Convention in 2022, consequently adopting the Law No. 45/2022, which appoints the Information and Data Protection Commissioner as Albania’s representative body in the Consultation of the Parties.

The Consultation of the Parties is one of the two bodies that monitor the implementation of the Convention. It consists of one representative from each member country and serves as the decision-making body, reviewing opinions and proposals presented by the Group of Specialists. The latter is the body with more technical functions, specifically preparing opinions, exchanging experiences on various aspects of access to information, formulating proposals regarding the effective implementation of the Convention, etc. The Group of Specialists is made up of 10 members elected for a 4-year term, renewable once.

Recently, Albania submitted its candidacy to become a member of the Group of Specialists and succeeded following the elections held at the 4th meeting of the Consultation of the Parties. This demonstrates the ongoing commitment and efforts to achieve the highest standards in the arear of the right to information in Albania, which now joins with high level experts in Europe regarding access to information. This new role ranks Albania at the heart of the European movement for transparency having the opportunity to contribute in policy-making on our continent, as well as to adopt best international practices, bringing direct benefits to its citizens.