Strengthening Open Data Publication and Personal Data Protection in Albania

Strengthening Open Data Publication and Personal Data Protection in Albania is an Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance Twinning action with a maximum EU grant of €1,000,000, published 25 August 2026 with submission deadline 27 October 2026 (16:30 UTC). The beneficiary is the Commissioner for the Right to Information and Protection of Personal Data (IDPC) in Albania and the project focuses on operationalising open data publication and reinforcing personal data protection, including safeguards for digital and AI-related public sector initiatives. Eligible applicants are public administrations or mandated bodies from EU Member States applying through their National Contact Points for Twinning, providing a Project Leader, Resident Twinning Adviser and technical component leaders and experts. The action has a maximum duration of 18 months and emphasises institutional capacity building, production of guidance and training, and alignment with relevant EU acquis and standards.

Opportunity summary

What is funded

A Twinning grant to strengthen the institutional capacity of the Commissioner for the Right to Information and Protection of Personal Data (IDPC) in Albania to implement and monitor open data policies and the personal data protection framework, including safeguards for digital and AI-related public sector initiatives.

Maximum grant:€1,000,000 maximum available for the Twinning project ¹.

Project activities will include institutional assessments, platform and data architecture reviews, development of guidance and training toolkits, support for DPIAs on AI-driven applications, study visits, and communication and awareness-raising actions. The project is expected to enhance interoperability, data publication practices and the oversight role of IDPC.

Duration:Up to 18 months implementation period.

1. 1Who may apply: Only Public Administrations and mandated bodies from EU Member States through National Contact Points for Twinning.
2. 2Application channel: Member State administrations submit one Twinning proposal via their National Contact Point to the Contracting Authority according to the Twinning Manual.
3. 3Deadline: 27 October 2026, 17:30 Albania time.
4. 4Beneficiary: Commissioner for the Right to Information and Protection of Personal Data (IDPC), Republic of Albania.
5. 5Implementing agency: EU Delegation to Albania.

Selection and award emphasise the operational capacity and profiles of the Member State Project Leader, Resident Twinning Adviser and component leaders; proposals must follow the Twinning Manual templates and submission rules. Results are provisionally notified in November 2026 ¹.

Footnotes

1. 1Full call documents (Annex C1 Twinning Fiche and Annex C9 Standard Twinning) and details are published on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal: Call details.

Opportunity Snapshot

Title:Strengthening Open Data Publication and Personal Data Protection in Albania. Call identifier: EuropeAid (Reference 187517PROSPECTSEN). Instrument/Programme: Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance; EU for Integrated Good Governance (ACT-63255) – Multi-annual Action Plan in favour of Albania for 2025–2027, AAP 2026, under direct management. Action type: Twinning Action Grant. Total maximum budget: €1,000,000. Publication date: 25 August 2026. Updated: 24 August 2026. Deadline for submissions: 27 October 2026, 17:30 Albania time (27/10/2026 16:30:00+00:00 stated in metadata). Maximum project duration: 18 months. Geographical zone / Beneficiary: Albania. Beneficiary administration: Commissioner for the Right to Information and Protection of Personal Data (IDPC), Republic of Albania.

Primary objective:To strengthen the institutional capacity of the IDPC for effective implementation and monitoring of open data policies and personal data protection, including proper publication of key datasets and the integration of personal data protection safeguards into digital and AI-related public sector initiatives in line with EU acquis and Member State best practices.

Eligibility and Applicant Types

Eligible applicants are restricted:only public administrations and mandated bodies from European Union Member States may apply through their National Contact Points for Twinning, following the Twinning Manual. Applications must be submitted by the Lead Member State administration via the Member State National Contact Point for Twinning. Only one Twinning proposal per Member State may be submitted to the Contracting Authority within the deadline. This is a Member State-to-beneficiary twinning action, therefore individual organisations, private sector entities, NGOs, universities, or non-member state applicants are not eligible to apply directly under this call.

Eligible Applicant Types:Public administrations and mandated bodies from EU Member States acting as Lead Member State partners through their National Contact Points for Twinning (Member State public administration acting as applicant).

Funding Type and Financial Details

This opportunity is funded as a grant under the Twinning instrument. The maximum available grant amount for this call is €1,000,000. The implementing agency responsible for contracting and accounting is the European Union Delegation to Albania. The contract language and official project language is English. The call is managed under direct management and follows Twinning Manual rules and templates.

Funding Type:Grant (Twinning Action Grant).

Consortium and Submission Requirements

The initiative requires a Member State public administration to lead the Twinning project. The Member State shall provide a Project Leader (PL), a Resident Twinning Adviser (RTA), component leaders and short-term experts. The Member State partner administration will coordinate with the beneficiary IDPC. Proposals must be submitted by the Member State National Contact Point for Twinning to the Contracting Authority via email, using the Twinning Manual templates. The MS application should be the single submission from that Member State. The Member State delegation should include the proposed PL and RTA(s) in their submission.

Consortium Requirement:Single lead applicant required: Member State public administration acting as Lead Member State partner (twinning partnership).

Geographic Eligibility and Beneficiary Scope

Beneficiaries and implementation are focused on Albania. Lead applicants must be public administrations or mandated bodies from EU Member States. This is a bilateral Twinning action between an EU Member State public administration and the Albanian beneficiary administration (IDPC).

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility):Lead applicants: EU Member States (public administrations/mandated bodies) via National Contact Points for Twinning. Implementation/target: Albania.

Target Sector and Thematic Focus

Sector:Justice and Home Affairs; cross-cutting theme: digital governance. The project targets open data publication, public sector transparency, personal data protection, and the interplay with digitalisation and AI governance. It addresses legal and institutional alignment with EU acquis including GDPR-related obligations, Open Data Directive, Data Governance Act, Data Act, the AI Act, ePrivacy and related interoperability, accessibility and governance frameworks.

Target Sector:Justice and Home Affairs; Digital Governance; Open Data; Personal Data Protection; AI governance and public sector digital services.

Project Stage, Duration and Expected Maturity

Expected maturity:operational institutional capacity building and implementation support. The project assumes that Albania has enacted recent legislation (Open Data Law 2022; Personal Data Protection Law 124/2024) and requires operationalisation, harmonisation, technical assistance, training and piloting. Project stage: development/operationalisation and demonstration of policy and administrative practices, including producing guidance, assessments, DPIAs and training. Maximum project duration is 18 months.

Project Stage:Development, operationalisation and demonstration; institutional capacity building and implementation.

Application Process and Timetable

Submission type:open call for Twinning proposals but submissions must come through EU Member State National Contact Points for Twinning (per Twinning Manual). The Member State National Contact Point decides internal deadlines for their public administrations; only one proposal per Member State may be submitted to the Contracting Authority. The deadline for Member State National Contact Points to submit proposals to the Contracting Authority is 27 October 2026, 17:30 Albania time. Provisional notification of award results: November 2026. Tentative start of evaluation committee meetings: 10 November 2026. Applications received after the deadline will not be considered.

Application Type:Open call for Twinning proposals with restricted submission route: only through Member State National Contact Points for Twinning (via email to the Contracting Authority).

Selection, Award and Success Factors

Selection criteria focus on operational capacity of proposed Component leaders, the Member State Project Leader (PL), and the Resident Twinning Adviser (RTA). Assessment of operational capacity is Yes/No per criterion; a single negative on selection criteria disqualifies the proposal. Award criteria are scored 1 to 5 and include methodology, experience of RTA and PL, experience of the administration in cooperation projects, and the Member State presentation. Full details and administrative compliance grids are in Annex C6 and Annex C7 of the Twinning Manual. The Member State presentation and quality of the proposed methodological approach and experts are decisive.

Selection and Award Criteria:Selection: operational capacity of PL, RTA and component leaders (Yes/No). Award: scored evaluation (1-5) on methodology, experience of proposed experts (RTA, PL), administration experience in cooperation projects, Member State presentation and quality of proposed activities.

Profiles and Roles Required

Member State partner administrations must provide:Project Leader (high-ranking official), Resident Twinning Adviser (RTA) who will be resident in Albania for the contract duration, two Component Leaders (one for Open Data, one for Personal Data Protection), and short-term experts. All profiles require a university degree or equivalent professional experience of at least eight years and a minimum of three years of specific professional experience in relevant fields. The PL should have minimum three years of specific experience and managerial skills; the RTA manages day-to-day coordination; component leaders steer technical delivery and supervise short-term experts.

1. 1Project Leader: senior official, university degree or equivalent, at least eight years overall professional experience and minimum three years specific experience; provides strategic direction and coordination.
2. 2Resident Twinning Adviser: university degree or equivalent, at least eight years overall professional experience and minimum three years specific experience; resides in Albania, manages day-to-day implementation.
3. 3Component Leaders (two): each with university degree or equivalent, at least eight years overall professional experience and minimum three years specific experience; technical leads for Open Data and Personal Data Protection.
4. 4Short-term experts: each with university degree or equivalent, at least eight years overall professional experience and minimum three years specific experience; deliver technical outputs, training and assessments.

Mandatory Results, Components and Indicative Activities

The Twinning project is structured around three mandatory results across two technical components plus communication. Component 1 focuses on Open Data; Component 2 focuses on Personal Data Protection; a communication strand strengthens awareness and public engagement. Activities and outputs will be jointly defined during work plan preparation, but indicative sub-results and outputs are specified in the Twinning Fiche.

Applicable EU Acquis, Standards and Reference Frameworks

The Twinning project will draw on EU acquis, international instruments and standards including: Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR); Directive (EU) 2016/680 (Law Enforcement Directive); Directive (EU) 2019/1024 (Open Data Directive); Regulation (EU) 2022/868 (Data Governance Act); Regulation (EU) 2023/2854 (Data Act); Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 (AI Act); Directive 2002/58/EC (ePrivacy); Directive (EU) 2016/2102 (Web Accessibility Directive); European Interoperability Framework; Council of Europe conventions (Tromsø Convention, Convention 108+); OECD/SIGMA principles; and relevant CJEU and ECHR case law. Principal Albanian laws referenced include Law No. 124/2024 on Personal Data Protection, Law No. 33/2022 on Open Data and the Re-use of Public Sector Information, and Law No. 119/2014 on the Right to Information.

Budget, Reporting and Implementation Arrangements

Maximum grant amount available:€1,000,000. Implementing agency: European Union Delegation to Albania (contact: Ms Cinzia Tarletti, Head of Section Good Governance and Rule of Law, cinzia.tarletti@eeas.europa.eu). Beneficiary counterpart contacts at IDPC are provided in the Twinning Fiche: Ms Besa Velaj (Cabinet Director), Ms Blerta Nerguti (Secretary General) and Ms Denada Hysi (Head of Projects and Foreign Relations Sector). The project steering committee (PSC) will oversee implementation. Reporting includes interim quarterly reports and a final report, each with narrative and financial sections based on Twinning Manual requirements. English is the contract language. Facilities: beneficiary to provide office space for RTA and meeting/training facilities.

Budget:Maximum available grant: €1,000,000.

Indicators, Monitoring and Sustainability

Performance indicators are linked to mandatory results and include production of strategic briefs, analytical reports on open-data platforms, maturity assessments, training toolkits, lists of priority datasets, DPIA reports for major AI applications, guidance reconciling open data and data protection, study visit reports, and a post-project implementation plan. Sustainability is promoted via transfer of know-how, operational guidance, tools and training materials and by embedding resources and responsibilities into the beneficiary's medium-term planning.

Timetable and Important Dates

1. 1Publication/Availability of call documents: 25 August 2026 (Annex C9 Standard Twinning; Annex C1 Twinning Fiche).
2. 2Submission deadline to Contracting Authority via Member State National Contact Points: 27 October 2026, 17:30 Albania time (stated as 27/10/2026).
3. 3Provisional notification of award: November 2026.
4. 4Tentative start of evaluation committee meetings: 10 November 2026.
5. 5Maximum project duration: 18 months from contract signature.

Application Templates and Required Documents

Applications must use the Twinning Manual templates. The Twinning proposal template and related fiche templates (including Annex C1 Twinning Fiche and Annex C9 Standard Twinning) must be strictly followed. The Twinning Manual contains Annex C6 (Administrative compliance and Eligibility grid) and Annex C7 (Award evaluation grid) which must be used during preparation and submission. The Member State National Contact Point provides the templates and instructions; only submissions in the template format will be considered. Required elements include the Twinning proposal, details and CVs of PL, RTA, component leaders and short-term experts, methodological approach, work plan, provisional budget and confirmation that the Member State administration will provide the required profiles and inputs.

Templates:Use Twinning Manual templates (Annex C1 Twinning Fiche, Annex C9 Standard Twinning) and Annex C6, Annex C7 evaluation and compliance grids. The Member State National Contact Point supplies and enforces template use. Specific required content: PL and RTA CVs, component leader profiles, methodological description, workplan, draft budget, project steering arrangements and confirmation of Member State support.

Co-funding, Financial Rules and Contracting

The Twinning grant covers maximum project costs as specified in the grant offer; the call documents do not state an explicit co-funding requirement from the applicant. The action is implemented under standard Twinning grant rules and EU Delegation contracting procedures. Financial reporting and eligible costs rules follow Twinning Manual and EU Delegation instructions; interim and final financial sections are required in reporting. Any specific co-financing requirement or amounts would be defined in contractual documents and Twinning Manual provisions but are not explicitly listed in the public Twinning Fiche text.

Co-funding Requirement:No explicit co-funding requirement is stated in the Twinning Fiche; standard Twinning financial rules apply and any co-financing expectations would be specified in contractual documents and the Twinning Manual.

Application Stages and Success Rates

Application stages:single-stage submission by Member State National Contact Points to the Contracting Authority, followed by evaluation by the Contracting Authority and selection based on selection and award criteria. Provisional committee meetings are scheduled in November 2026. The Twinning Manual and Annexes define administrative checks and scored award criteria. No numerical success rate is provided in the call documents; success rates depend on number of Member State proposals submitted and are not published in the Twinning fiche.

Application Stages:1 (single-stage submission by Member State NCP to Contracting Authority) followed by evaluation and award by the EU Delegation/evaluation committee.

Success Rates:Not specified in the call documents; depends on how many Member State administrations submit a twinning proposal. No historical success rate provided.

Risks, Assumptions and Cross-cutting Issues

Key risks include potential changes in political or institutional commitment, uneven inter-institutional cooperation, and the pace of digitalisation and AI adoption outpacing safeguards. Assumptions include continued commitment to public administration reform, rule of law and EU approximation. Cross-cutting issues include human rights dimension (privacy and access to information), equal opportunity and inclusion (accessible public information for vulnerable groups) and limited environmental impacts. The project will pay attention to complementarity with existing EU initiatives and avoid overlap with TAIEX and other support.

Mentioned Countries and Contacts

Explicitly mentioned country:Albania (beneficiary). Lead applicants: EU Member States (public administrations/mandated bodies). Implementing agency contact: European Union Delegation to Albania (Ms Cinzia Tarletti, cinzia.tarletti@eeas.europa.eu). Beneficiary contacts at IDPC: Ms Besa Velaj (besa.velaj@idp.al), Ms Blerta Nerguti (blerta.xhako@idp.al), Ms Denada Hysi (denada.hysi@idp.al).

Key Documents and Links

Primary call page and document links are provided on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. The two publicly available annex documents attached to the publication are Annex C9 Standard Twinning and Annex C1 Twinning Fiche. The Twinning Manual and its annexes (C6 and C7) are referenced for administrative compliance and evaluation rules. Full documents are accessible via the EU portal and the internal externalDocumentDownload links in the call metadata. Twinning Call Page Annex C9 Standard Twinning (download) Annex C1 Twinning Fiche (download)

For detailed guidance on proposal structure, administrative compliance, eligibility grids and award evaluation, applicants must consult the Twinning Manual and Annexes C6 and C7 referenced in the Twinning documentation ¹.

Summary

This Twinning action funds a Member State public administration to partner with the Albanian Commissioner for the Right to Information and Protection of Personal Data (IDPC) to strengthen open data publication and personal data protection in Albania. With a maximum EU grant of €1,000,000 and an 18-month implementation period, the project focuses on operationalising Albania’s 2022 Open Data Law and 2024 Personal Data Protection Law, improving central open-data platforms and institutional practices, embedding privacy safeguards in digital and AI-related public sector initiatives, producing guidance and training, and raising public awareness. Applicants must be Member State public administrations applying through National Contact Points for Twinning using the Twinning Manual templates. The call places emphasis on high-quality methodological approach and the experience of proposed Project Leader, Resident Twinning Adviser and component leaders. The action supports Albania's EU accession reforms, public administration reform and rule of law agenda, and aligns with EU acquis and international standards on data protection, open data and AI governance.

Footnotes

1. 1See Twinning Manual and annexes (Annex C1 Twinning Fiche and Annex C9 Standard Twinning) available from Member State National Contact Points for Twinning and on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal for full submission templates and administrative/evaluation grids.

Strengthening Open Data Publication and Personal Data Protection in Albania is an Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance action grant with a total budget of €1,000,000, published on 25 August 2026 and due on 27 October 2026 at 16:30 UTC. The beneficiary administration is the Commissioner for the Right to Information and Protection of Personal Data in the Republic of Albania, and the published documents include a Twinning Fiche and Standard Twinning annexes, which strongly indicates a Twinning-style technical cooperation action.

What the Funding Is About

The opportunity is focused on improving Albania's ability to publish open data and to protect personal data more effectively within its public administration. This is aligned with Albania's broader reform path, where the open data framework has been strengthened through Law No. 33/2022 on open data and reuse of public sector information, and the national open data portal has been described as being expanded, upgraded and made more accessible to users.[4][5]

The personal data protection side of the action sits in a rapidly changing legal context. Albania adopted Law No. 124/2024 on Personal Data Protection, which KPMG describes as fully aligned with GDPR; it entered into force on 31 January 2025, with some provisions taking effect over a two-year period, and it introduces stronger individual rights including data portability and the right to be forgotten.[10][11]

EU progress reporting has repeatedly highlighted the need to improve digital security, institutional capacity and implementation in this area. The 2023 Albania Report called for stronger data protection safeguards and improved implementation, while the 2025 report says the legal framework is adequate but the capacities of the Data Protection Agency still need to be improved.[8][15]

Who Can Apply

Because the call documents are Twinning Fiche and Standard Twinning annexes, the practical applicant profile is likely to be public administrations or equivalent public bodies able to provide institutional expertise, short and medium term experts, and implementation support rather than a commercial consultancy as the lead applicant. Applicants should expect a public-sector led cooperation model designed to transfer administrative know-how to the Albanian beneficiary institution.

For applicants, the most relevant profile is an institution with direct experience in open data governance, data protection supervision, e-government information management, transparency policy, legal harmonisation, or public-sector digital reform. A strong consortium would normally also show operational capacity to mobilise experts quickly and sustain cooperation over the implementation period.

Funding Amount, Conditions and Applicant Considerations

The total available budget shown on the portal extract is €1,000,000. The extract does not display a co-financing percentage, a beneficiary contribution requirement, or a project duration, so these points must be confirmed in the Twinning fiche and related annexes before submission.

1. 1Budget and timeline are fixed at the portal level, with a submission deadline of 27 October 2026 at 16:30 UTC.
2. 2The action is institutionally anchored in the Albanian Commissioner for the Right to Information and Protection of Personal Data.
3. 3The policy objective combines open data publication, re-use of public sector information, and personal data protection capacity building.
4. 4The legal environment in Albania has recently changed, especially through Law No. 33/2022 and Law No. 124/2024.
5. 5Applicants should be prepared to deliver practical administrative support, training, guidance, and implementation assistance rather than only high-level policy advice.

Applicants should pay particular attention to how the action will support implementation of the new personal data protection law, strengthen transparency and open data publication practices, and improve the operational capacity of the supervisory authority. The key documents to review are the Twinning Fiche and the Standard Twinning annexes, because these will define the work package structure, expected results, expert profile requirements, reporting obligations and any eligibility or implementation rules.

Practical Takeaway

This is a focused governance and institutional capacity opportunity in Albania, not a broad thematic grant. The strongest candidates are public administrations or public-sector bodies with direct experience in open data, data protection, digital governance and EU alignment work, and with the ability to deliver hands-on reform support within a Twinning-style framework.