Established in 2016 as part of Albania’s comprehensive justice reform, the Special Structure for the Fight Against Corruption and Organised Crime (SPAK) has become a cornerstone of the country’s rule-of-law architecture. Within a few years, it has earned citizens’ trust and delivered tangible results in prosecuting high-level corruption and organised crime, while building strong cooperation with EU Member States, Europol, Eurojust, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, OLAF and other international partners. These developments also mark an important contribution to Albania’s EU accession path.

At the same time, SPAK’s experience highlights enduring challenges. How can specialised institutions preserve their independence amid political, media and criminal pressures? Can integrity and capacity keep pace with growing caseloads and rising expectations? As Albania prepares to appoint a new Chief Special Prosecutor, sustaining SPAK’s credibility and ensuring democratic continuity will be crucial both for the country’s reform process and for the EU’s broader enlargement agenda.

This EPC Policy Dialogue will take stock of SPAK’s achievements and ongoing challenges, identifying best practices and lessons learned for other aspirant countries. It will follow a civil-society discussion under the REACH project on the importance of the rule of law and its intersection with other key policy areas for effective democratic governance.

This event welcomes the participation of EPC member organisations, EU institutions, elected officials and media. For questions, please contact media@epc.eu