The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has launched a reform engagement with Albania’s public broadcaster RTSH (Radio Televizioni Shqiptar) following a visit to Tirana by EBU Director General Noel Curran in the first week of March 2026. According to media announcements, the visit marks the beginning of a process aimed at addressing longstanding governance, financial and institutional challenges at the public broadcaster.

During the visit, the EBU delegation held meetings with RTSH leadership and the Prime Minister and presented the main findings of an expert assessment conducted in late 2025. The assessment reportedly resulted in a detailed action plan intended to support RTSH in improving governance structures, strengthening management practices and ensuring financial sustainability. The engagement comes after a period of serious institutional difficulties for RTSH and broader concerns about management and accountability within the broadcaster.

The reform initiative is expected to focus on modernizing the broadcaster and reinforcing its role as a public service media provider in Albania. According to statements made during the visit, the process will involve technical assistance and advisory support from EBU experts as RTSH begins implementing the recommended changes.

During his visit to Tirana, Noel Curran also met with Michel Tarran, Head of the OSCE Presence in Albania. The meeting focused on the overall media environment in Albania, the role of the public broadcaster and recent developments and reforms in the media sector – as announced in an official post of the OSCE Presence in Albania. Both sides acknowledged the alignment between the work of the EBU and the OSCE Presence’s mandate to strengthen public service media and promote media freedom and pluralism, and agreed to explore opportunities for closer cooperation in these areas.

However, details about the reform roadmap and its implementation remain limited. Public reporting about the visit indicates that meetings were held primarily with RTSH leadership and the Prime Minister’s office, while it remains unclear whether consultations will include Parliament, journalists’ organizations or civil society groups that have long advocated for structural reform of the public broadcaster. The Chairman of the Association of Journalists of Albania has also sent a letter to the EBU expressing concern that media organizations in Albania appear not to have been consulted in the preparation of the proposed RTSH reform. The letter raises questions about the transparency of the process, including the sources, methodology and references used for the reform assessment. It also highlights concerns about meetings held only with Prime Minister Edi Rama, noting that under Albanian legislation oversight of the public broadcaster rests with Parliament rather than the executive.

The role of the executive branch in discussions about RTSH governance is particularly sensitive given the importance of safeguarding the independence of public service media from political influence. Public broadcasters are expected to operate independently from government interference, in line with European standards and best practices for public service media governance.

Concerns about political influence over RTSH have also been raised previously. Prime Minister Edi Rama has on several occasions publicly criticized RTSH’s editorial performance and called for significant changes to its functioning including potential privatization or closure, statements that have prompted debate among media organizations about the appropriate role of the executive in shaping the future of the public broadcaster.

In this context, a broad coalition of media organizations and civil society actors — including the SafeJournalists Network — issued a joint statement calling for a democratic, transparent and sustainable reform of RTSH. The statement highlighted longstanding concerns regarding governance, political influence, financial management and the need to strengthen editorial independence in line with European standards for public service media.

The coalition stressed that meaningful reform requires transparent procedures, clear accountability mechanisms and inclusive consultation with journalists’ organizations, civil society and media professionals.

The SafeJournalists Network will continue monitoring developments related to the RTSH reform process and public service media governance in Albania, and remains ready to engage constructively with national institutions, international partners and stakeholders to support reforms that strengthen the independence, transparency and sustainability of the public broadcaster.