On 10 September, EU TACSO 3 in partnership with the EU Delegation and the National Resource Center, organized the online meeting “National Consultation and Validation Meeting on the EU Civil Society Guidelines 2020 Assessment Report (EUCSG) for Albania “. The meeting was a part of a larger program held in six Western Balkans countries and Turkey. 43 representatives of CSOs, public institutions and international and local organizations were part of the meeting.

During the meeting, the findings of the national assessment for Albania were presented, noting the effects of COVID-19 on the enabling environment of CSOs in 2020. Freedom of assembly, lack of transparency, reduction of public funding, lack of consultations in drafting laws and policies related to CSO activities, referring to law no. 80/2021 “On the Registration of Non-Profit Organizations” were some of the key findings presented and further discussed with the participants. The evaluation report also cites the initiative of the Code of Standards for NPOs in Albania as an important mechanism that contributes to increasing the transparency and accountability of the sector.

During the discussion session, participants had the opportunity to share their views and opinions on the findings of the evaluation, which will be reflected later in the final Study Report that is expected to be published soon. For more