OSCE Presence in Albania concludes seminar series on newly-established administrative justice system

The OSCE Presence in Albania concluded a series of seminars in Tirana and Durrës in December 2014 on the newly-established administrative justice system in Albania.

The seminars, organized in co-operation with the Magistrates School, the Albanian School of Public Administration and the National Bar Chamber over the course of the year, gathered some 110 advocates, State Advocates, lawyers of central institutions and administrative court judges.

The participants were introduced to new procedural elements within the Law on the Administrative Courts. They were also updated on developments in public procurement and fiscal legislation, where administrative disputes frequently occur.

The OSCE Presence has also supported the publication of a Manual on Administrative Justice in Albania. The Presence plans to issue a second edition of the publication by the end of 2014, as well as the Albanian version of the Handbook for Monitoring Administrative Justice published by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the Folke Bernadotte Academy.

The OSCE Presence in Albania assisted in the drafting of the law on administrative courts in 2012 and will continue to support the transition from the common court system to a specialized administrative court.