Parliament has ratified the Council of Europe Convention for the Protection of the Profession of Lawyer at a time when lawyers are boycotting court proceedings and opposing the regulation of the Supreme Court. Amid tensions with the justice system, the government is presenting the ratification as a guarantee for the free exercise of the profession, while it remains to be seen how much this will be reflected in practice.
Ratification amid the clash with the system
The Convention was approved in a plenary session and is considered the first legally binding international agreement dedicated entirely to protecting the profession of lawyer.
This step comes as lawyers have entered a boycott of court proceedings in protest against the Supreme Court regulation, which they claim undermines the normal exercise of the profession. In this context, the ratification is also being read as an institutional move at a moment of public pressure from the body of lawyers.
The five obligations the government says it is taking on
In a video published after the ratification, Justice Minister Toni Gogu listed five obligations which, according to the official version, stem from this Convention.
First, lawyers must be able to practice their profession without fear and without unjust obstacles, with the possibility of meeting clients, reviewing files and genuinely participating in proceedings in which they represent the parties.
Second, communication between the citizen and the lawyer must remain protected. Third, the lawyer is recognized as having the right to speak freely, but with responsibility.
Fourth, when a lawyer is threatened or attacked because of their work, the state has an obligation to investigate the case seriously. Fifth, bar associations must be independent and self-governing.
The approval timeline and the next steps
The Convention had been approved by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe in March 2025 and was opened for signature in Luxembourg on May 13 of that same year. Albania signed it in Strasbourg in June, while the government approved the ratification bill in July.
The document then went to the Laws Committee on October 6 and has now also been ratified by Parliament. This formal path closes the approval phase, but not the debate over how the standards will be implemented on the ground.
What is expected from institutions after entry into force
According to the Ministry of Justice, after ratification the institutions will be notified of the obligations arising from the Convention.
Within six months of the law entering into force, the ministry must present to the Laws Committee an analysis of the compatibility of the law on advocacy, the Code of Criminal Procedure and sublegal acts with the standards of the Convention.
The video says that this analysis will be drafted in consultation with the National Chamber of Advocacy, a key element if the aim is for the ratification not to remain only a formal act on paper.
In essence, the ratification sets a new standard on the legal plane, but the open clash between lawyers and justice institutions shows that the problem is not resolved with a vote in Parliament.
The real question remains implementation: whether the declared guarantees will affect the everyday practice of the profession, or remain part of official rhetoric without immediate effect in courtrooms.