The Ombudsman, Endrit Shabani, participated in the high-level meeting organized in Berlin by the Minister of Justice, Ms. Stefanie Hubig, and the ENNHRI network, on one of the most critical challenges for human rights today: the execution of decisions of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).

During the discussions, Mr. Shabani brought to attention a worrying indicator for our country.

“Only 25% of the decisions of the Strasbourg Court manage to be executed on time. This institutional slowdown directly undermines citizens’ trust in justice and the rule of law. A judicial decision fulfills its purpose only when it translates into a concrete improvement in the lives of citizens, by changing laws and preventing future violations”, said Shabani.

Every unexecuted decision is a citizen who has won a right in Strasbourg, but is still waiting for justice in Albania.

As an independent mechanism, the Ombudsman will present his findings from field monitoring directly to the Committee of Ministers, the Council of Europe body that oversees whether states are complying with binding decisions. Accountability of executive institutions and cooperation with Parliament are the steps that turn this coordination from paper to practice.