Open Society Foundation for Albania

	15 September 2007 Dialogue required on government-proposed amendment to law on non-profit organizations 14 September 2007 Activities on the draft-law on electoral reform 3 August 2007 Students and public life 20 July 2007 Debating the law regarding publishing and the copyright 11 July 2007 Debating some amendments of the law on the right for information 10 July 2007 Presentation of the project for a sharing budget 29 June 2007 Increasing the management capacity of the municipality and involvement of citizens in the decision-taking process 25 June 2007 Amendment proposal for the law 8503 regarding the right for information 21 June 2007 The employment of students graduated abroad in the public administration 30 May 2007 Dialog civil society - government aiming at the reduction of informality 11 May 2007 Second report on the activity of Albanian Parliament is published 4 April 2007 Memorandum of the farmers for exports complying European standards 29 March 2007 Monitoring of the parliamentary process of drafts law debating 28 March 2007 The civil society is in favor of the creation of a state committee against blood feud 16 March 2007 Monitoring of the migration strategy 26 February 2007 Signature of the Memorandum of Understanding 18-20 February 2007 Parallel counting of votes 13 February 2007 The Civil Society demands the relaxation of conflictuality of the election campaign 3 February 2007 Local elections 2007 online by the MJAFT Movement 30 January 2007 Seminar on “Improving public transportation in the region of Tirana” 23 Janauary 2007 Memorandum of civil society to protect its own constitutional rights 18 January 2007 Call of the civil society for a civilized election campaign 22 December 2007 Winners announced for the “Public-private partnership” contest 19 December 2006 Workshop "Albania's Interim Agreement with the EU and its effects on the Albanian Business" 1 December 2006 Debate of the civil society about the new draft law concerning the State Police 21 November 2006 Presenting the findings of the survey “Albania and the EU – Perceptions and Realities” 18 November 2006 The Conference “Albania and Greece – Mutual perceptions” 6-10 November 2006 Seminar on the challenges of European Integration 3 November 2006 Debate about book policies in the countries of Western Balkans 3 November 2006 AUBG closes recruitment ceremony with fourth-grade students of high schools in Tirana 1 November 2006 Organization that builds school wins case against Albanian government 14 October 2006 Standards in pre-university education 10 October 2006 Presentation of the monitoring report ivote.com - January-July 2006 16 September 2006 Historical turns and the return of memory

20 July 2007

The Association of the Albanian Publishers (SHBSH), the Albanian Group on the Human Rights (GSHDNJ) with the support of Soros Foundation, has organized a debating round table regarding the laws “Book publication in the Republic of Albania”, “The copyright and authors’ rights related to it” and some normative acts affiliated to the latter, or submitted for approval.

Important names of the public life, among which deputes from DP, SP, LSI parliamentary groups, ex-president of the Republic Rexhep Mejdani, the head of media parliamentary commission, the director of the Institute for Dialogue and Communication, well-known attorneys, journalists, native and alien translators, all of them have been attached to the problem formulated from editors and authors, regarding some authoritarian elements that are intrinsic to the actual policy of the Ministry of Culture.

The organizers are really disturbed for some decisions and dangerous actions aiming to centralize publications, creating ad hoc huge bureaucratic structures, whose intention is to strictly control from the state, all Albanian publications. Most typical signs of this authoritarian character have been some of the articles of the law no. 9691 “Book publication in the Republic of Albania”, where the right for publishing has become an exclusive competence of the Ministry of Culture.

On these premises, The Association of the Albanian Publishers and the Albanian Group on the Human Rights (GSHDNJ) proposed the amendment of some articles of the law on the book and the copyright, that not only challenge the constitutional right for the free editing and the freedom of expression, but also cause a great harm to the entire publishing community of our country.