Press and information team of the Delegation to Albania
Over 70 lawyers from Durrës, Elbasan, Berat and Shkodër have completed specialised training delivered by the Albanian Centre for Consumer Protection on the legal framework governing consumer protection and food law. Notably, many of these practitioners, despite having worked in the sector for nearly a decade, had not previously applied consumer protection legislation as a legal basis in their cases.
“When dealing with electricity outages or billing disputes, they often relied on the Civil Code or the law on the electricity sector, rather than consumer protection law,” explained Ersida Teliti of the Albanian Centre for Consumer Protection.
These trainings were organised within the framework of the EU-funded project “Support to Civil Society Organisations in Albania in the field of Environment, Culture and Food Safety and Consumer Protection”, designed to foster greater public awareness of consumer rights and responsibilities. Supporting the work of three consumer protection organisations—Destiny Centre for Excellence, Alert Centre and Albanian Consumer Centre—the project brings together three critical pillars of consumer protection in Albania.
First, it strengthens professional capacity through targeted skills development and training. Second, it empowers citizens by establishing a communication line to collect complaints and ensure their voices are heard. Finally, it drives systemic change by addressing institutional problems, referring them to the justice system, and providing follow-up through legal aid. Together, these measures represent a comprehensive approach to safeguarding consumer rights and reinforcing accountability across the sector. They advance Albania’s alignment with the EU acquis under Chapter 28 (Consumer and Health Protection), covering key areas such as consumer goods and guarantees, unfair contract terms, pricing, doorstep and distance selling, financial services marketing, consumer credit, advertising, unfair practices, timeshare, package travel and passenger rights.
Strengthening legal practice and ensuring that consumer rights are consistently recognised and defended under the appropriate legislative instruments has been one of the main outcomes highlighted by Teliti. Following the training of lawyers, the programme will extend to judges, prosecutors and judicial police officers, ensuring that key actors within the justice system become familiar with the legal framework governing food safety and consumer protection.
“Drawing on twelve years of experience across Albania, it is evident that such training is greatly needed, as the number of cases brought before Albanian courts in this field remains very limited. In sessions with judicial police officers and prosecutors, particular attention will be given to food law and the relevant provisions of the Criminal Code addressing food safety. Available data indicate that complaints or accusations reaching the prosecution have generally concerned fraud, falsification of expiry dates or unsafe products. Even in cases of consumer complaints related to poisoning, proceedings have often been dismissed. In fact, there is only one case before the courts directly applying consumer protection law—an individual dispute involving credit card issues. This remains the sole example of consumer protection legislation being used as a legal basis in Albanian judicial practice,” explained Teliti.
She added that, through her experience, she has observed significant gaps in the application of food law and recognised the need for stronger preparation in this area. For this reason, she decided to make it a central focus of the project.
Consumer rights are safeguarded by law across all sectors—whether related to essential goods such as water, vegetables, fruit, bread and other food products, or services including banking, hospitality and tourism. Regardless of whether citizens purchase food, clothing or access services, they are entitled to full legal protection and may seek redress through the courts to ensure these rights are upheld. Within the EU-funded project “Support to Civil Society Organisations in Albania in the field of Environment, Culture and Food Safety and Consumer Protection”, three Albanian organisations have been monitoring policies, advocating for reforms and raising awareness.
A survey of 1,600 young people in Gjirokastër, Korçë, Shkodër and Tirana revealed that awareness of consumer protection and food safety remains limited. While most respondents could identify expiry dates, many struggled to interpret nutritional values or understand the technical language used on product labels. Conducted by the Destiny Centre for Excellence, the study provides valuable insights into citizens’ perceptions of food safety and consumer rights.
The findings show that young people often rely on alternative sources—particularly social media—when official information is too complex or inaccessible. According to Rudina Lula, who worked on the study, these results are being used to design targeted solutions that both inform and raise awareness among youth, while also addressing farmers’ concerns about selecting safe agricultural products to protect crops from diseases and pests.
As part of the project, capacity-building initiatives have engaged a wide range of stakeholders: farmers, business operators, local institutions, young people, marginalised groups, journalists, veterinary and food safety directorates, the Public Health Institute and education authorities. These efforts have culminated in the creation of a dialogue platform where diverse actors come together to discuss food safety challenges, the importance of aligning with EU standards and practical strategies for achieving them.
Within the framework of the project, the Alert Centre has worked to establish a unified channel for handling consumer complaints. A dedicated green line, reachable at 0800 2626, now serves as a central point for addressing concerns across various areas of consumer protection. According to Klajdi Tozaj, the Alert Centre has often gone beyond simply receiving complaints, actively following up until problems are resolved.
These include cases where travel agencies failed to deliver on promised packages, household appliances malfunctioned within the warranty period, or commercial entities refused to return change. “For the issues brought to us, our first step is to try to resolve them directly, ensuring the situation is normalised and consumer rights are protected. If resolution is not possible, we escalate the matter to the relevant institution, providing a written report outlining the situation, the legal basis and the specific rights that have been violated,” Tozaj explained.