The event in Albania was moderated by Kristina Voko, Executive Director of BIRN Albania and a national researcher for the study.
Voko highlighted key findings related to legal assessments, strategies, challenges, and opportunities for open data and digitalization in Albania.
Journalist Vladimir Karaj, who participated in the study, shared his own experiences requesting machine-readable data from public institutions. He discussed the responsiveness of these institutions to providing open, accessible data.
Journalist Ola Xama supported Karaj’s observations, sharing instances where public institutions had either denied data requests or provided data in inaccessible formats, complicating the research process.
Rigels Xhemollari, Executive Director of Civic Resistance, offered insights into public satisfaction in Albania with the e-Albania platform and highlighted the challenges faced by different demographics and local communities.
Megi Reci approached e-government from a human rights perspective, identifying instances of discrimination in data access.
The event concluded with participant discussions, which led to recommendations and ideas for future initiatives. This event is part of the “Open Data and Digitalization in the Western Balkans” project, supported by the Open Society Foundation for the Western Balkans.
The full report is available here.