Saturday, May 18, 2019

The president of the Association of the Schools of Political Studies of the Council of Europe Mr. Nils Muižnieks paid a visit in Albania from 16-18 May 2019 by the invitation of the Academy of Political Studies. Mr. Muižnieks was one of the guest speakers on the third national course of the Albanian School of Political Studies programme, hold in Durres. The topic of the seminar was “Populism in Europe as a threat to democracy and human rights”, related to the main thematic of the course focused on the European integration of Albania and Western Balkans. The discussions tackled also the challenges of trust of citizens on their political elites and the failure of European lefts to offer inspiring alternatives to European angst about economic crisis, refugees and immigrants.

Later, Mr. Muižnieks delivered also a presentation on the occasion of the 70th Anniversary of the Council of Europe with the participation of more than 100 students and academic staff of the Faculty of Law at the State's University of Tirana. He introduced the participants with the work of the organization to ensure and improve the protection of human rights based on its experience as former Council of Europe's Commissioner of Human Rights.
Part of this open session were also the Dean of the Faculty of Law, Mr Artan Hoxha, and the Head of the Council of Europe Office in Tirana, Ms. Jutta Gützkow, who delivered the opening remarks focusing on the importance of the European Convention on Human Rights and the European Social Charter towards the achievement of common standards on human rights, democracy and the rule of law for Albanian citizens.

Participants also got an opportunity to ask questions related to the action of the Commissioner for Human Rights on improving the standards of minorities, right of democratic protest, domestic violence and implementation by Albania of decisions of European Court of Human Rights.