Horizontal Facility - News
Strengthening Prison Staff Capacities to Manage Violent Extremist Prisoners in Albania
Penitentiary staff plays a key role in dealing with violent extremist prisoners (VEPs), both in terms of rehabilitation and ensuring institutional security. As part of the continuous efforts to build and strengthen the capacities of prison practitioners in Albania and ensuring long-term success...
United against discrimination in Serbia: Equality Commissioner and the Council of Europe driving change
From classrooms to newsrooms, the Commissioner for the Protection of Equality and the Council of Europe in Serbia are working side by side to challenge discrimination and promote inclusion. The Commissioner for the Protection of Equality in Serbia, Brankica Janković, reflects on years of...
Western Balkan judicial institutions aim for efficient judicial systems through digital transformation
Judicial institutions from across the Western Balkans joined forces in Neum to explore how digital tools and artificial intelligence (AI) can modernise court systems, improve access to justice, and ensure greater transparency. Organised by the European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice...
Advancing Women’s Access to Justice in the Western Balkans: Reflections on the Swedish experience
From 18-21 May 2025, judges and prosecutors, successful graduates of the Mentoring Programme for Legal Professionals on Women’s Access to Justice, from the six Beneficiaries in the Western Balkans, participated in a study visit to Stockholm, Sweden. The visit focused on how Sweden mainstreams...
Empowering correctional service staff to address radical influences among vulnerable youth
- Youth are particularly vulnerable to radical ideologies and violent extremism due to factors such as identity challenges, peer influence, and exposure to harmful online content, especially in the social media. The risk is especially high for the young people, already subject to correctional and...
Towards a sustainable training network in the prisons of Albania, through the development of local trainers
25 penitentiary staff from all prisons in Albania, including trainers in the field and experienced prison police and psycho- social staff gathered in Tirana in a 3-days capacity building activity. This is an important step forward in the process of building a network of trainers in all prisons of...
Intercultural cities in Serbia: working together for inclusion
Arandjelovac, Prijepolje and Sjenica are the first municipalities in Serbia to use the intercultural cities (ICC) index to evaluate and improve how they promote inclusion, diversity and intercultural dialogue at the local level. The results of the ICC Index for the three towns were presented and...
Celebrating Pride and Standing Up for Equality – IDAHOT kicks off in Albania
The International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOT) will be marked in Albania during a vibrant month-long series of events, celebrating diversity, equality, and the rights of LGBTI people. Under the theme “Side by Side!”, the European Union and the Council of Europe's...
Helping Roma community in North Macedonia with civil documentation and ensuring access to free legal aid
A series of five information sessions on focusing on the importance of civil documentation and access to free legal aid were conducted in Skopje (Shuto Orizari and Gazi Baba municipalities), Kičevo, Bitola, and Kumanovo. The activities conducted by the Macedonian Young Lawyers Association with...
Public discussion in Kichevo highlights the importance of anti-discrimination mechanisms
Citizens in Kichevo, coming from diverse ethnic backgrounds were part of another public discussion focusing on different protective mechanisms against discrimination. This activity comes after the successful and productive discussions with citizens in Prilep and Kumanovo, informing citizens and...
Learning from the Dutch experience: Helping victims of violent crimes get justice through compensation
A delegation from the recently established Commission for Monetary Compensation for Victims of Violent Crimes (the Commission), was part of a 3-days study visit to the Hague - Netherlands supported by the EU and Council of Europe. The visit aimed to study the Dutch best practices and discuss...
New Standard Operating Procedures in North Macedonia to ensure enhanced human rights safeguards and operational effectiveness
Prison Police officers and senior representatives of the Directorate for the Execution of Sanctions in North Macedonia have drafted the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for the Prison Police Intervention Teams. Introduced as a novelty in the 2024 amendments to the Law on Execution of...
Litigating for change: Training on legal strategies to promote women’s rights protection in Türkiye
As many as 41 lawyers from bar associations and civil society organisations (29 women, 12 men), joined forces in a specialised training to enhance their skills in strategic litigation. Their joint efforts aim to drive progress on women's rights and contribute to gender equality in Türkiye. Held...
Towards more comprehensive judicial response to domestic violence and violence against women in Montenegro
Judges and prosecutors from across Montenegro came together on 15-16 May for a specialised training aimed at improving the justice system’s response to domestic violence and violence against women. Organised in cooperation with the Judicial Training Centre, the workshop focused on strengthening...
New Albanian Supreme Court case law compendium published
A new case law compendium of the Supreme Court of Albania, covering the period from 2021 to 2024, has been published with the support of the European Union and the Council of Europe. This new edition forms part of ongoing efforts to consolidate national jurisprudence and further contribute to...
Equipping trainers from Western Balkans and Eastern Europe with legal and technical tools to counter racial discrimination
An expert session was held to strengthen legal standards and practical tools for protecting individuals from discrimination in the Western Balkans and the Eastern Partnership regions. This event is part of the recently initiated Training of Trainers programme. Bringing together over 30...
Partners join their efforts to fight discrimination and hatred and support youth in North Macedonia
Joint and co-ordinated efforts to improve efficiency and advance the fight against hatred and intolerance, especially among youth in North Macedonia were agreed during the 5th Steering Committee meeting of the action “Combating hatred and intolerance in North Macedonia” which traditionally...
Teachers in Bosnia and Herzegovina unite to bring democratic values into classrooms
Teachers from across Bosnia and Herzegovina gathered in Brčko from 13-15 May to strengthen democratic values and inclusivity in schools as part of the joint European Union and Council of Europe action “Quality Education for All”. Coming from Goražde, Zenica, Srebrenik, Orašje and Brčko,...
Standing up, speaking out: Journalists from Bosnia and Herzegovina empowered for combating gender-based violence
Journalists from across Bosnia and Herzegovina gathered in Neum to strengthen their role in combating gender-based violence against female journalists, particularly online abuse that threatens both individual safety and media freedom. The two-day training brought together 24 media professionals...
From Losing Hope to Finding Legal Certainty: A Journey to Claim Your Property Rights in Albania
Apartamenti i vogël në katin e dytë të një ish-ndërtese të epokës komuniste, i vendosur në një rrugë kryesore jo shumë larg qendrës së kryeqytetit, Tiranë, është gjithmonë i mbushur me njerëz. Nën sytë vigjilentë të qytetarëve të shqetësuar, zyrtarët e Shoqatës së Ndihmës Ligjore të Tiranës...
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