On March 26, 2025, in Tirana, the Parliament for Citizens Forum took place at Hotel Rogner, bringing together Members of Parliament, parliamentary staff, international experts, civil society representatives, journalists, academics, and engaged citizens. This annual forum, organized within the framework of the project “Increasing Parliament’s Responsiveness to Citizens’ Concerns,” served as a platform to reflect on key achievements, consolidate lessons learned, and explore ways to institutionalize participatory practices in the Albanian parliamentary system.

Over the past two years, the project, implemented by IDM, AIS, and Citizens Channel with the support of the British Government, has worked to bridge the gap between Parliament, civil society, and the public. It has introduced innovative participatory tools and capacity-building efforts to enhance parliamentary accountability and foster meaningful civic engagement.

During the Forum, participants discussed the integration of deliberative democracy mechanisms, such as Citizens’ Panels, improvements in petition handling procedures, and enhancements in parliamentary oversight, including public hearings and budget transparency. The discussions also highlighted the role of citizen journalism as a bridge between Parliament and the public.

“I am pleased to note that your initiative has increased information on parliamentary activities for citizens, civil society and the media.
It has increased their access and practical opportunities to influence and contribute to the activity of the Assembly, especially of the parliamentary committees, to build a legislative process and exercise parliamentary control that directly responds to the real challenges of citizens and communities.”

This was stated by the Speaker of the Assembly of Albania, Elisa Spiropali, at the “Parliament for Citizens Forum: Strengthening Participatory Democracy and Parliamentary Accountability”

The British Ambassador to Albania, Nicholas Abbott, expressed his support for the initiatives undertaken by the Albanian Parliament, emphasizing that democracy and parliamentary transparency are fundamental pillars for strengthening institutions. The Scottish Parliament serves as a high-quality and innovative example in this regard. Involving young people in these consultative processes breathes new life into decision-making processes.

The Executive Director of IDM, Sotiraq Hroni, during the Forum’s proceedings stated that: The Albanian Parliament should set an example in public consultation by implementing various mechanisms for citizen inclusion, including deliberative approaches. Consultation and inclusion should also serve as a model for municipal councils across the country.

The event concluded with a strong call for action to ensure the sustainability of participatory democracy mechanisms within Parliament’s institutional framework. The discussions emphasized the need to embed these initiatives into Parliament’s official agenda, strengthening citizen engagement in decision-making and reinforcing transparency and accountability.

The Guide for Deliberative Consultation in the Parliament of Albania, authored by IDM expert Elona Dhembo, aims to support the Parliament in establishing effective, transparent, and inclusive mechanisms for citizen participation. It serves both as a reference for policymakers and a practical tool for implementing deliberative democracy, reinforcing the principle that decision-making should be a collaborative process between institutions and the public.

In October 2024, the Institute for Democracy and Mediation (IDM), in collaboration with Involve UK, piloted Citizens’ Panels as a deliberative tool to engage citizens on key policy issues:

• Rural and mountain tourism development
• Disability rights and social inclusion

Over 80 randomly selected citizens participated, informed by 20+ experts and policymakers. Their deliberations resulted in 10 concrete recommendations per topic, later presented in a public hearing with parliamentary committees to explore their integration into policymaking.

To ensure sustainable citizen participation, the Albanian Parliament should:

• Expand engagement strategies, integrating digital tools and direct interaction with citizens.
• Monitor and evaluate participation mechanisms to enhance effectiveness.
• Develop an annual report to track trends and improve processes.
• Strengthen international cooperation to adopt best practices in deliberative democracy.

By embedding these measures, the Parliament can foster a more inclusive, transparent, and participatory democracy, ensuring that policymaking is truly for and by the people.

IDM experts, Elsa Toska and Enkeleda Olldashi presented the Guide for Reviewing Petitions, emphasizing the introduction of new standards and providing concrete recommendations for revising the Regulations of the Albanian Parliament on Citizen Petitions. The experts pointed out the need for a more transparent and effective process in handling petitions.

One of the main issues with the current regulations is the lack of a clear deadline for petition reviews, which leads to uncertainty in both the submission and review process. Furthermore, the current regulations do not provide for the electronic submission of petitions, nor is there a requirement for parliamentary debate or discussion on petitions. These gaps, according to the experts, hinder the effectiveness of citizen participation in the decision-making process.

The experts also discussed international models to improve the system. In the British model, for instance, a Special Committee is dedicated to reviewing petitions, and petitions are accepted online. Citizens also have the right to be represented and have their petitions discussed in Parliament, with a requirement for a response within a set timeframe. Similarly, the German model follows a similar approach, where the Bundestag has a special committee for petitions, obligating a reasoned response within a deadline and publishing petitions on an online platform, with periodic monitoring and reporting. The European Union model also follows a similar structure, with a permanent committee in the European Parliament, an online platform for petition submission, and obligations for review and responses.

To address the issues in Albania’s petition system, the IDM experts proposed several key changes. They recommended establishing a Specialized Committee for Petitions, inspired by international models. They also suggested adopting a guide and standardized format for petition submission and review, ensuring a preliminary review by the Conference of the Group Chairpersons to ensure coordination and effectiveness. Additionally, they proposed defining clear deadlines for petition review and response, along with regular monitoring and reporting on the handling of petitions to ensure transparency.

Scottish Parliament expert Laura Black presented insights into the Scottish Parliament Public Engagement Strategy, which aims to involve more diverse and underrepresented voices in parliamentary processes. The 2018 Parliamentary Reform Report outlined a key objective to reach seldom-heard voices, and the strategy is currently under review.

Central to this effort is the development of PACT (Participation and Consultation Team), which works to provide expertise in citizen engagement. PACT’s vision is to ensure the involvement of more diverse and missing voices in the life and work of the Parliament. The team operates collaboratively across service teams, using an in-house facilitation model and a community development approach. A wide range of engagement methods, including deliberative approaches, are employed to embed these practices into the parliamentary process.

Stephanie Draper, Director of Innovation and Practices at Involve UK, discussed innovative participatory tools for parliamentary engagement and deliberative democracy processes, including their application in Albania through collaboration with IDM. She also highlighted the role of the public in decision-making and provided examples of successful participatory democracy practices and their impact.

• Albania Conference 2025
• Bios of Speakers and Moderators_March 2025
• Bios Shqip Forumi mars 2025
• IDM_Forumi Parlamenti për Qytetarët_Draft_Programi_Mars2025_update
• Parliament-to-Citizen Forum_Strengthening Participatory Democracy_Draft_Agenda_final_26March2025
• Prezantim_Peticioni_2025_Perditesuar
• Udhëzues për Konsultimin Deliberativ
• Udhëzues për Konsultimin

The Analysis and Guide to Citizen Petitions will be posted on our website soon.