The European Commission is calling on Albania to review its practice of using pretrial detention, pointing out that this measure remains the main coercive alternative for persons under investigation and those awaiting trial. In the progress report on Albania, the EC stresses that institutions must increase the use of alternative measures to pretrial detention and ensure their more effective implementation.
Concerns are also raised regarding respect for the procedural rights of suspected and accused persons. According to the report, the problems that remain include informing them during criminal proceedings, guaranteeing the presumption of innocence, access to a lawyer from the earliest stages of the investigation, and timely provision of legal aid.
Another recommendation concerns the urgent reinstatement of electronic monitoring, which has been suspended since 2019. This mechanism is considered necessary to supervise the enforcement of house arrest and compliance with obligations by persons on probation. The European Commission calls for a more proportionate approach in the application of security measures and stronger guarantees for the rights of persons in criminal proceedings.
