THE ROLE OF THE EU AS A NORMATIVE POWER ON THE PROTECTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN ALBANIA

Protection of human rights is a core value for the EU as well as a precondition for candidate countries. The European Commission, through the annual progress reports, monitors the protection of human rights and compliance of domestic legislation with international human rights instruments, particularly the European Convention on Human Rights. EU membership has always been the most cherished objective and has shaped the implementation of structural reforms and the protection of human rights. The European Union has grown as a normative power fostering democracy and promoting human rights through the promise of future accession. After the fall of the communist regime Albania has made significant progress toward respect for civil and political rights but still now due to the last report of the Freedom House is defined as partly free. The respect for civil liberties, especially the freedom of expression is still one of the main problems in Albania. While the Constitution guarantees freedom of expression, the intermingling of powerful business, political, and media interests inhibits the development of independent news outlets. The paper aims to analyze how the EU perspective membership has influenced the protection of human rights, especially civic rights like the freedom of media and expression, but also its limits. Methodologically, will be analyzed and compare progress reports, public speeches and declarations, national integration strategies, and the revised enlargement strategy.