The 63rd Conference of the European Platform of Regulatory Authorities (EPRA), the oldest and largest network of media regulators in Europe, has commenced in Tirana.
For the first time, delegations from 42 European countries are being welcomed to Albania by the Audiovisual Media Authority, the host authority of the conference.
The proceedings of the 63rd EPRA Meeting, taking place in Tirana from 20 – 22 May 2026, were opened by the EPRA Board Chair, Stephanie Comey. After thanking the Audiovisual Media Authority for hosting the event, she explained that EPRA is a non-political system of values. “EPRA is an open forum, non-political and operationally neutral, its members must uphold the same values and institutional neutrality”, stated EPRA’s Chair.
As is tradition of the network, the conference was opened by AMA’s Chairwoman, Ms. Armela Krasniqi, as the host authority of the event. Ms. Krasniqi presented an overview of the main developments in Albania’s audiovisual landscape, focusing on AMA’s regulatory role, the legal framework and alignment with European standards.
The presentation also highlighted AMA’s 2024 – 2026 strategy, focused on increasing transparency, strengthening institutional efficiency and harmonizing Albanian legislation with the European framework, including the AVMSD, EMFA and DSA.
Additionally, the legal amendments currently underway were presented, aiming to increase the digital platforms’ accountability, protect media freedom, guarantee editorial independence and ensure transparency in public funding within the media sector.
In her remarks, Krasniqi also highlighted the work undertaken to develop the audiovisual media ownership transparency register, a comprehensive and detailed database that extends to ultimate beneficial owners and is accessible via AMA’s official website. She also explained to participants how public access to this database has been made possible.
Krasniqi also provided a brief overview of the main activities carried out by AMA over the past five years, highlighting the adoption of 550 decisions, more than 60% of which were approved unanimously, with no decisions contested by civil society, industry, or political actors.
“Over the past five years, 38 fines have been imposed for content-related violations and 44 fines for television piracy, with a total value exceeding 80 million ALL”, stated Ms. Krasniqi, adding that of the 49 court cases concluded at the Court of First Instance, 80% were ruled in AMA’s favor.
On the first day of the 63rd EPRA Conference in Tirana, discussions focused on the accessibility of audiovisual broadcasts for persons with disabilities, as well as the practices and challenges faced by European countries in properly fulfilling the legal obligations arising in this field. Countries such as Spain, Bulgaria and Lithuania shared their practical experiences, while presentations were delivered by the European Audiovisual Observatory and the Council of Europe. A recorded message from the European Commission was also broadcast during the session.
In addition, the new website of the European Platform of Regulatory Authorities was presented, featuring an improved design and a more user-friendly navigation experience, including enhanced accessibility on mobile devices.
Participants as permanent observers in the 63rd EPRA Meeting were also the Council of Europe, the European Audiovisual Observatory, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media and the European Board for Media Services (formerly ERGA) as an ad hoc observer. Other participants included 3Cat, Netflix, the European Disability Forum and Cullen International.
At the conclusion of the conference, which was held in Albania for the first time, it was announced that the 64th EPRA Meeting will take place in Ireland next year.
