SLAPPs (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation) pose a serious threat to media freedom and democratic engagement in Albania. Journalists and activists face growing legal intimidation designed to silence their voices. To address these pressing issues, SCiDEV hosted a roundtable discussion bringing together representatives from the Parliament, government, civil society, media, and international partners, focused on aligning Albania’s legal framework with the EU’s Anti-SLAPP Directive and the Council of Europe’s recommendations
In light of the opening of EU negotiations for Albania, Cluster 1 – Fundamentals, the alignment of Albanian legal framework with the European standards on Anti-SLAPP requires steadfast commitment and inclusion of media community, civil society and relevant stakeholders in the process. Stakeholders in the roundtable emphasized the need for legal safeguards that protect freedom of expression, including mechanisms for early dismissal of abusive cases and ensuring robust protections for those targeted by SLAPPs.
Stay tuned for the full summary of the roundtable discussion. SCiDEV will continue its research and advocacy efforts to engage with stakeholders and strengthen institutional mechanisms for the safety of journalists and media freedom.
The roundtable was organized under the “Strengthening Journalistic Safety through Engaged Stakeholder Collaboration and Journalists’ Capacity Development in Albania” project by SCiDEV in collaboration with Citizen Channel (CC) and Free Press Unlimited (FPU), supported by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Albania, and the Cluster 1 Platform. Additional expertise was contributed by the joint EU and Council of Europe program, “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye.”