The HPC, with the support of the EU4Justice project, conducted two workshops back-to-back on 28 and 29 May 2025 on ‘Institutional communication, transparency, and the management of relations with the media, based on the principles and best EU practices’. The events gathered the High Prosecutorial Council (HPC) members and the General Prosecution Office (GPO) representatives and on 28 May 2025, and the Heads of Prosecution Offices (POS) and prosecutors assigned to communicate with the media, addressing key issues faced by the prosecutorial system on 29 May 2025. 

The workshops focused on key principles of the Council’s communication with the media and transparency in line with EU standards, featuring presentations and discussions to enhance understanding and application of these principles. They addressed the duty to inform, outlining specific responsibilities in disseminating information and identifying target audiences to ensure they are adequately informed. Discussions also covered access to information, emphasizing accuracy and methods for effectively reaching different entitled subjects, including public and journalists, particularly regarding meetings participation. Additionally, strategies for informing private citizens and civil society associations were explored, along with media communication methods such as live reporting and recordings to promote transparency and broad dissemination. 

The workshops underscored that the council should issue guidelines for heads of POs regarding media relations. It was debated whether media communications should be centralised within the GPO or handled independently by individual POs, with some advocating for decentralisation to empower heads of POs in their media interactions. The role of the SoM in providing continuous media-related training for magistrates was also highlighted. Concerns were raised about the user-friendliness of the council’s website, with suggestions for categorising acts to enhance navigation and advocating for modern digitalisation. 

The head of PO was identified as the primary figure responsible for media relations, with practices from Italy cited as examples, such as including communication strategies in their annual work plans. Discussions revealed a lack of unified practices for media interactions, with suggestions to use video content to showcase the daily work of magistrates and immediate press releases to counter misinformation. Periodic meetings with the media were seen as effective in fostering calmer interactions. The workshop concluded with recommendations to adopt strategies that build public trust, enhance awareness, and position prosecutors as approachable individuals, while also defending their professional integrity in media engagements. 

A significant part of the session was dedicated to the Communication Strategy for the HPC and POs, since this will be the next step to enhance HPC and prosecutorial system performance and effectiveness with a clear vision on communication, transparency, and relation with the media. 

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.