On 24 May, Mr Ladislav Hamran, the President of Eurojust, hosted the visit of H.E. Mrs Etlida Gjonaj, the Minister of Justice of Albania, and a high-level delegation. The Eurojust delegation was composed of Mr Hamran, Mr Lukáš Starý, Chair of the External Relations Team, and Ms Solveig Wollstad, member of the External Relations Team.  

This meeting was timely, as the Cooperation Agreement between Albania and Eurojust is only a few steps away from being concluded, allowing for increased operational and strategic cooperation.

The number of cases handled by Eurojust involving Albania has increased, and the first JIT involving Albania was signed in 2017 between Albania and Italy. The Member States most often requesting cooperation with Albania are Greece and Italy, with crimes against life, limb or personal freedom and drug trafficking being the most frequent.

Background:
Ms. Gjonaj was appointed Minister of Justice in September 2017. She began as a civil society activist, lecturer in civil law and human rights lawyer in Tirana in 2003. Minister Gjonaj is the author of a number of publications, research studies and scientific articles in local and international legal journals in the field of justice, as well as lecturer in a number of training sessions, conferences and seminars at national and international level. She has conducted a number of training sessions in Albania and abroad on human rights issues, criminal justice, the penitentiary system and probation service, the electoral system, legal aid for vulnerable groups, international organisations and European Union institutions.