During November 14-15, 2024, the High Prosecutorial Council (HPC), with the support of the EU4Justice Project, convened a two-day retreat. The Chairwoman and the members of the council, along with its general secretary, directors of administration, the General Prosecutor (GP), Head of Prosecution Offices, a SPAK prosecutor, and representatives of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), engaged in discussions and contributed to the development of the HPC Strategic Plan 2025-2030. The first day focused on internal discussions, while the second day saw the participation of the GP, the heads of prosecution offices, a SPAK prosecutor, and the MoJ representatives to provide their insights, opinions, and contributions.

The EU4Justice experts had been working closely with the council throughout the year, preparing an outline of the draft strategy based on the council’s close collaboration, the recent EU country report, the roadmap, and the draft Cross-Sector Justice Strategy. During the retreat, the EU4Justice Expert introduced widely applicable tools, such as logic models and theory of change, which helped identify the strategic priorities of the HPC. These frameworks facilitated discussions, defining the goals, internal and external expectations, issues to be addressed, actions required to achieve the goals, and the resources and timelines needed for execution.

The participants were divided into different working groups, based on their preference, which coincided with the respective setup of the HPC Standing Committees. Notably, the groups demonstrated exceptional teamwork and presented their objectives related to evaluation of prosecutors, career development, disciplinary proceedings, and communication with third parties, the public, and the media. Additionally, the proactive involvement of the GP, Head of Prosecution Offices, and SPAK representative further enriched the discussions, providing the Council with a solid foundation for the Strategic Plan. Concluding remarks from the MoJ representatives affirmed that the draft Strategic Plan aligns seamlessly with the Cross-Sector Justice Strategy.

Such an undertaking reflects the Council’s and prosecutorial system’s priorities and requirements and serves as a very solid foundation and commitment to continue refining the draft strategy. The EU4Justice project will persistently support the HPC in finalizing and approving this crucial document.

EU4JUSTICE is an EU Contribution Agreement Project implemented by AICS, Expertise France, and FIIAPP.  The project’s overall objective is the improvement of the capacity of the independent justice institutions in Albania.