During visit of OSCE Media Freedom Representative, Albanian authorities reiterated will to bring draft media laws in line with international standards
VIENNA, 14 October 2021 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Teresa Ribeiro, concluded her official visit to Albania yesterday. During her visit, Ribeiro met with several governmental authorities, including Prime Minister Edi Rama, Minister of Foreign Affairs Olta Xhaçka, President Ilir Meta, Speaker of Parliament Lindita Nikolla, Chair of the Parliamentary Committee on Education and Media Agron Gjekmarkaj and Deputy Chair of the Parliamentary Committee on Education and Media Petro Koçi.
Ribeiro addressed the safety conditions of journalists, with a particular focus on online safety of female journalists; various concerns related to disinformation; access to public information; the independence of the public service broadcaster and other challenges that the media community faces in Albania.
The Representative and her counterparts also discussed legislative developments related to media freedom and freedom of expression, including the draft media laws known as the anti-defamation package. Government authorities reiterated willingness to adopt these media laws in line with the recommendations of the Venice Commission. In this regard, Ribeiro stressed that any legislative amendments must conform to international human rights standards and OSCE commitments. To ensure effective decision-making in the public interest, Ribeiro underlined that legislative processes need to be conducted in an inclusive manner involving all relevant stakeholders, including media non-governmental organizations and journalists.
The Representative also met with Luigi Soreca, EU Ambassador to Albania; Martin Leka, Acting General Director of the public service broadcaster RTSH; Aleksander Çipa, Chair of the Union of Albanian Journalists; Erinda Ballanca, Ombudswoman; and several journalists.
Ribeiro expressed her readiness to provide all necessary assistance to the authorities in strengthening the media environment in Albania in line with her mandate, relevant international standards and OSCE commitments on media freedom and freedom of expression.
On 11 and 12 October, Ribeiro participated in the 8th South-East Europe Media Conference on “Journalism in times of crisis”, organized jointly by her Office and the OSCE Presence in Albania, in collaboration with OSCE field operations from South-East Europe. This two-day hybrid event gathered participants from across the journalistic field as well as media and legal experts, state actors and researchers operating in the region and beyond. Discussions reflected on old and new interlocking challenges that continue to strain the safety of, and public trust in, journalists in the region, with special attention to the role of governments and the media community in safeguarding journalism as a public good. Ribeiro underlined the need for continued dialogue and co-operation across national borders and fields of expertise to improve journalistic conditions in sustaining quality independent media and public-interest journalism across all media channels.
Ribeiro concluded her visit by participating in the conference “Protection of minors in the audio-visual media”, organized by the Audiovisual Media Authority (AMA) on 13 October. She spoke at the opening of the event together with the Chairwoman of the AMA, Armela Krasniqi.
The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media observes media developments in all 57 OSCE participating States. She provides early warning on violations of freedom of expression and media freedom and promotes full compliance with OSCE media freedom commitments. Learn more at www.osce.org/fom, Twitter: @OSCE_RFoM and on www.facebook.com/osce.rfom.