TIRANA, May 18 – Assistance from the Council of Europe is essential for Albania’s path towards EU integration. Through several projects implemented in diverse areas, the CoE gives a great contribution and expertise to Albania’s efforts for creating a functioning democracy. That’s what Claus Neukirch, the head of Council of Europe Office in Tirana, stressed during a presentation organized by the Albanian Institute for International Studies (AIIS) and the CoE Office in Tirana, in collaboration with the Faculty of Law of the University of Tirana, about the CoE’s contribution to democracy and human rights.
Mr Neukirch said that the key project that the Council of Europe is implementing in Albania is about the strengthening of the local democracy in the country. He said that this is especially necessary because the political scene in Albania is so polarized that there are two different organizations representing the local power, one with the mayors of the Socialist Party and one with those elected from the Democratic Party.
He said that the work and support of the Council of Europe in Tirana is broad and in diverse areas. He mentioned the expertise that the Council of Europe is providing concerning media freedom, the strengthening of human rights in the prison system, technical expertise concerning the justice reform and a project that aims at fighting extremism in the schools. ‘’A lot of things begin at school,’’ he said, mentioning the fact that learning about tolerance and respect at school is essential to fight extremism in a society. He said that the areas where the Council of Europe works in Albania are crucial for the advancement of the country.
Mr Neukirch said that the work of the Council of Europe is focused on creating an integrated society, where every group and every person feels part of the society and for this it is important that the focus should not be only on the national minorities inside a state but also on other minorities.
“We need comprehensive anti-discriminatory laws,’’ he said, describing CoE as Europe’s leading organization for human rights. ‘’The Council of Europe helps educate people to look critically,” he said, especially concerning populism and terrorist violence in Europe.
Established in 1949, the CoE’s main mandatory bodies include the Committee of Ministers and the Parliamentary Assembly. Albania became part of the Council of Europe in July 1995.
