In early 2025, Albania’s Parliament took unprecedented steps regarding the Steering Council of RTSH (Albanian Radio Television). On February 10–11, the Parliamentary Committee for Education and Public Information Media (the “Media Commission”) unanimously agreed to initiate the dissolution of the RTSH Steering Council due to repeated legal violations. Following the Commission’s recommendation, the Assembly voted with a majority to dismiss all remaining Steering Council members en bloc on 17th February 2025. This decision, supported by ruling and opposition MPs, effectively dissolved the 11-member board (including its chair) for the first time in RTSH’s history. Official statements from Parliament emphasized restoring legality and integrity to RTSH’s governance in light of the Council’s misconduct. Media freedom organizations supported this move.
Under Albanian law (Audiovisual Media Law No. 97/2013), RTSH’s Steering Council consists of 11 members (10 members plus a Chair). The law stipulates that Parliament selects five members proposed by the ruling majority and five by the opposition, while the Council’s Chair is elected by Parliament with a simple majority – effectively giving the governing party the decisive say on the chair position. After the Council’s dismissal, Parliament opened a public call for new Steering Council members. Applicants had to be Albanian citizens meeting the legal eligibility criteria (e.g. higher education, relevant experience, no conflicts of interest) and were expected to present a clear vision for RTSH’s development. The application deadline was March 7, 2025. Candidates were required to submit a platform outlining their plans for RTSH, which they would later defend in a hearing before the Media Commission. This open application process aimed to attract professionals from the fields of media, art, culture, and academia – indeed, many well-known figures from Albanian arts and journalism applied, reflecting the intended merit-based approach, 67 in total.
The Parliamentary Media Commission verified application files and scheduled public hearings on the 10th and 11th of March 2025. After completing interviews, the Media Commission shortlists 12 finalists to propose to the Parliament. This includes 10 candidates for the 10 ordinary member seats and 2 candidates for the Chair of the Council. The Commission’s selections are the product of a cross-party agreement: in a closed-door meeting, 5 nominees were chosen by the opposition and 5 by the ruling majority to fill the member slots. Parliament is scheduled to hold a plenary vote to appoint the new RTSH Steering Council members on 13th March 2025. Once elected, the new Council will convene and begin its work immediately. A top priority for the reconstituted Council will be to resume the selection of the RTSH Director General – a process that was suspended amid the violations in January 2025.
The dismissal of the entire Steering Council was an extraordinary measure – but notably, it had rare cross-party support, signaling consensus that the Council’s conduct had been indefensible. At the same time, the process of appointing a new Council highlights the politicized nature of RTSH’s governance framework. The law intentionally balances appointments between government and opposition nominees (5 each). However, it also underscores that political actors ultimately control the selection. Even though candidates come from media and artistic circles, their backing by parties suggests a degree of alignment or trust with those parties’ agendas. In the bigger picture, these events have implications for media independence in Albania. The real test will be how the new Steering Council conducts the pending Director General competition – whether it truly implements a transparent, merit-based process as demanded by law and observers, or falls back into opaque practices. Any misstep could invite further political or even legal scrutiny. For now, the overhaul of RTSH’s board is seen as a necessary reset to align the public broadcaster with legal norms and to rebuild public trust.
As Albania seeks closer ties with the EU, issues of media freedom remain a core accession criterion. Observers from the OSCE and the EU Delegation expressed concerns over irregularities at RTSH, urging Albania to demonstrate its commitment to transparency, rule of law, and press freedom. The outcome of the Director General selection—and whether it adheres to meritocratic standards—would likely feed into the broader assessment of the country’s media reforms.