A meeting of the National Council for European Integration was held at the Parliament of Albania, focusing on the theme: “The fight against digital and audiovisual piracy: progress and challenges within the framework of EU accession negotiations.”
Mr. Gentian Sala, Chairman of the Electronic and Postal Communications Authority (AKEP), participated in the meeting, which brought together representatives from institutions responsible for the European integration process, regulatory bodies, law enforcement agencies, and the audiovisual industry. The discussion centered on measures to strengthen the fight against piracy and to align Albanian legislation with EU standards.
At the opening of the meeting, Mr. Taulant Balla, Co-Chair of the National Council for European Integration, emphasized that protecting the digital space is now integral to safeguarding the economy and democracy, and that Albania must keep pace with the European Union in implementing standards for digital services and markets.
In his remarks, AKEP Chairman Mr. Gentian Sala highlighted the need to strengthen the legal and regulatory framework in the fight against digital piracy, noting that technological advancements require more efficient mechanisms for enforcing measures to block illegal content.
“Communication between institutions continues to rely on written correspondence; while this mechanism has functioned in the past, it is no longer suited to the times, especially as piracy has evolved and become more sophisticated. Precisely for this reason, there is a need to supplement Law No. 54/2024 with clearer provisions mandating that ISPs immediately implement blocking orders issued by AKEP—based on requests from competent authorities—and establishing administrative penalties for non-compliance, which currently do not exist,” stated Mr. Sala.
The Chairwoman of the Audiovisual Media Authority (AMA), Mrs. Armela Krasniqi, emphasized that piracy is not merely a violation of copyright or broadcasting rights; it directly impacts the functioning of the audiovisual market, undermines legitimate entities, and causes them tangible harm. At the conclusion of the discussions, the responsible institutions were assigned concrete tasks to advance anti-piracy measures; these include enacting necessary legal amendments to strengthen enforcement mechanisms, establishing a joint inter-institutional task force, enhancing cooperation with internet service providers, European partners, and digital platforms, and organizing a national awareness campaign regarding copyright protection and the fight against piracy.