Albania: at parliament hearing and meetings with ministers, RSF called for measures to restore journalists’ trust

From 17 to 19 June, RSF testified on media freedom in Albania before the Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights and Public Information Media, chaired by opposition MP Jorida Tabaku. RSF also met with two government officials in charge of media freedom issues: Minister of State for Public Administration and Anti-Corruption Adea Pirdeni and Minister of Justice Toni Gogu.

The director of RSF's Prague Office, Pavol Szalai, travelled to Tirana after Albania fell three places to 83rd out of 180 countries in RSF's 2026 World Press Freedom Index - a decline that dismayed Prime Minister Edi Rama. As part of its accelerated EU accession process, the Western Balkan country must meet several criteria related to the rule of law, including improving press freedom. Since 2025, a dedicated body launched by the European Commission and the Council of Europe - the Platform for Dialogue with the Media - has been discussing specific measures, but so far few have been implemented, and Albanian journalists continue to face pressure from politicians, media owners and organised crime.

Last year, the Platform agreed that defamation and insult should be fully decriminalised, as is also required by the EU. However, the reform of the Criminal Code voted by the ruling majority in January 2026 decriminalised only defamation, and only for journalists categorised as "registered and recognised," even though Albania has no registration system for journalists. The legislation also failed to cover other participants in public debate and journalists' sources, such as whistleblowers. Online defamation, but also abusive lawsuits (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation - SLAPPs) are not uncommon in Albania, while media professionals continue to work under difficult economic conditions.

During the parliamentary hearing, which was attended by MPs from both the ruling majority and the opposition, and at meetings with ministers, RSF called for progress on this issue, as well as other measures to restore journalists' trust. These include refraining from discrediting media professionals and creating the necessary conditions to bring justice for crimes committed against them - such as the unresolved 2023 killing of a Top Channel security guard and the April 2026 explosion of reporter Sami Curri's car.

Progress on media transparency

The government, parliament and media authority have partially addressed the lack of transparency in media ownership, which is a major issue in a country where private outlets are owned - and sometimes manipulated - by a few families with political ties and economic interests in highly regulated sectors. Following recommendations by RSF and local stakeholders, a law adopted in 2026 obliges audiovisual media to publicly disclose their beneficial owners.

The media sector has also made voluntary efforts to increase transparency: accompanied by RSF and the Albanian Media Council, 33 outlets have signed up to the Journalism Trust Initiative, an ISO-type international standard for transparent and ethical journalism.

In 2024, following a consultation with Albanian media professionals, RSF and the Albanian Media Council drew up 10 policy recommendations intended to inform the Platform that was launched a few months later.