OSCE Presence provides new media working room in Albanian Assembly

A new media room and renovated premises for the legal affairs committee were inaugurated in the Albanian Assembly on 23 May 2012 as part of a project implemented jointly by the OSCE Presence in Albania and the Albanian Assembly, co-funded by the OSCE Presence, the German Embassy, and the Assembly.

The Assembly Speaker, Jozefina Topalli, the Head of the OSCE Presence, Ambassador Eugen Wollfarth, and the Deputy Head of the German Embassy, Erik Tintrup, were present at the inauguration ceremony together with parliamentarians, Assembly staff and journalists.

“These new premises will help the Albanian Parliament to become more transparent and accountable, which is essential for increasing public ownership of the democratic process and thus strengthening its legitimacy,” said Wollfarth.

The media working room will enable journalists to have instant access to various online resources, including Assembly documents and outcomes of committee meetings.

The renovated legal affairs committee room aims to offer a more user-friendly environment where joint committee meetings and public hearings can take place. It will also increase access for the media and the general public by enabling them to follow committee meetings from an observation gallery.

Since 2002, the OSCE Presence, with the financial support of the Netherlands, Austria, and Germany, has supported the Assembly in webcasting plenary sessions, introducing new information technology practices and infrastructure, modernizing the library premises, and enhancing human resources and research capabilities. Future assistance includes the continuation of a project to digitalize historical parliamentary documents, enhancing parliamentarians’ outreach capacities, strengthening parliamentary ethical standards and procedures, and promoting regional co-operation among parliamentarians and their staff.