The Information and Data Protection Commissioner held a training event in Tirana with representatives of local self-government units, in the framework of strengthening transparency and accountability at the local level. The event was carried out in cooperation with the “Strong Municipalities” program (Helvetas) and the Institute for Democracy and Mediation (IDM).
In his speech, Commissioner Besnik Dervishi praised the cooperation with partners for supporting the drafting of the new Model Transparency Program for local self-government units, as well as for organizing awareness-raising activities at the regional level. He emphasized that with the order no. 281/2025, the new model of the Transparency Program was approved, where one of the main innovations is the inclusion of a dedicated field for Municipal Councils.
The Commissioner underlined that Municipal Councils are among the most important decision-making bodies at the local level and their transparency is essential for ensuring accountability to citizens. He recalled that the phase of concrete implementation of the Transparency Program by municipalities has already begun, emphasizing the need for accurate, complete and updated publication of information on official websites.
In this process, the key role of the secretaries of municipal councils was highlighted, as well as the importance of cooperation with information technology structures to guarantee functional and accessible publication for the public.
Speaking at this event, the representative of the “Strong Municipalities” program, Erton Kashta, emphasized the importance of increasing the role of Municipal Councils as decision-making and supervisory bodies towards the local executive. He underlined that concrete transparency is also measured through elements such as live streaming of council meetings, considering this a direct indicator of openness towards citizens. According to him, the support provided by the project aims to provide local units with the necessary instruments to improve their performance and strengthen their role.
Along the same lines, the Executive Director of the Institute for Democracy and Mediation, Sotiraq Hroni, praised the cooperation with the Commissioner’s Office and emphasized the importance of the Transparency Program as a key mechanism for increasing accountability and strengthening the role of Municipal Councils.
Special attention was also paid to the implementation of Law No. 33/2022 “On Open Data and Reuse of Public Sector Information”, which constitutes an important step towards increasing transparency, access and reuse of public information. It was emphasized that local self-government units have a special role in this regard, being the level closest to the citizen and administrators of data with a direct impact on daily life.
