On June 19, 2026, the Conference of the National Convention for European Integration was held on the topic “Beyond the Negotiation Table: A Meaningful Commitment of Civil Society for Membership in the European Union”, an important dialogue forum on the role of institutions and civil society in the European integration process of Albania.
The Information and Data Protection Commissioner’s Office was represented in the Thematic Panel, “Building Trust through Justice, Accountability and Transparency”, by Ms. Ermelinda Pema, Director of Transparency Program Monitoring.
During the panel, which discussed the independence and accountability of the justice system, transparency, the right to information and public trust in institutions, the representative of the Commissioner’s Office presented the institution’s experience in cooperation with civil society and its contribution to strengthening transparency and public participation.
In this context, three roundtables co-organized with EMA were presented, developed within the framework of a project that aims to institutionalize public debate and foster cooperation between state institutions and non-state actors:
• “Implementation of the New Law on Personal Data Protection in the Context of the Negotiations for Chapter 23: Dialogue with Civil Society and the Private Sector” (July 15, 2025);
• “Addressing Challenges in the Implementation of the Right to Information: Shortcomings in Institutional Capacities, Unjustified Refusals and Key Obstacles” (November 13, 2025);
• “Regulation of Lobbying in Albania: Strengthening Transparency, Challenges in Implementation and Coordination, and European Standards” (May 22, 2026).
Also, Ms. Pema shared with the participants the recommendations resulting from the dialogue tables, which are related to increasing the capacities of the public administration for classifying and handling information, strengthening the role of coordinators for the right to information and improving communication mechanisms with citizens.
Participation in this conference served as an opportunity to share institutional experience, to discuss current challenges in the field of transparency and the right to information, as well as to strengthen cooperation with civil society actors in order to advance Albania’s European integration process.