OSCE Presence in Albania Newsletter| May 2026

On 18 and 19 May, Tirana hosted the 11 South East Europe Media Conference, organized by the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media (RFoM) together with the Presence and other OSCE field operations in the region. “Strengthening journalism is essential for democratic resilience, accountability and public trust,” said OSCE RFoM Ambassador Jan Braathu. Ambassador Tarran also addressed the event. Afterwards, he met with journalism students from Albania and Serbia as a follow up to their engagement with OSCE projects earlier in the year. th NEWSLETTER To strengthen Albania’s capacities against the proliferation and misuse of small arms and light weapons (SALW), the OSCE Presence carried out retrofitting of the firearms deactivation centre in Mullet and equipped it with specialized machinery. “This is an important step in our joint work to support public safety in Albania,” Ambassador Michel Tarran said at the handover ceremony, on 29 May, attended by Minister of Interior Besfort Lamallari and General Director of the State Police Skënder Hita. The activity is part of the Presence’s SALW project funded by the EU, Germany and France. OSCE Presence hands over SALW Deactivation Centre OSCE regional media conference convenes in Tirana Albania, North Macedonia discuss climate and environment security On 13 May, the OSCE convened the first multi- stakeholder exchange between members of parliament and national stakeholders from Albania and North Macedonia. Parliamentarians, government agencies, civil society and academia explored opportunities for strengthening cross- border co-operation and joint action on climate and environmental security. The meeting was supported by the OSCE Presence in Albania, the OSCE Mission to Skopje and the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities. Strengthening regional co-operation on drug threats “Synthetic opioids and cannabis diversion in South- Eastern Europe” was the topic of a two-day regional workshop, on 21-22 May, organized by the Presence in co-operation with the OSCE Transnational Threats Department and the U.S. ICITAP. Senior officials from SPAK, NBI and State Police and police services and prosecutors from across the region, EU member states, EU and UN agencies, and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration addressed the proliferation of synthetic drugs and the diversion of legally cultivated cannabis into illicit markets. May 2026