[2] However, despite some significant progress toward securing the right to information over the last years, notable weakness remains in the functioning of the system and in the implementation of the law.
Efforts to establish a constitutional and legal framework securing citizens' right to access public information date back to the early 1990s during Albania's transition from a Communist country to a multi-party democratic system.
[3] The Constitution, effective since 1998, enshrined this right in Article 23 and provides for the right of every person to access information held by state bodies and to attend public meetings.
[4] The new Right to Information Law of Albania has been assessed by many experts as one of the most important steps towards transparency and accountability, bringing Albanian legislation closer with the best international standards.
[5] Public bodies are obliged to give an answer within 10 days from the submission of the request (under the previous legal framework it was 40).
[5] Exceptions to the right to information are established by the law, including for reasons of national security and international and intergovernmental relations.
The main problem concerned non-compliance with the obligation to appoint the coordinator on the right to information and great lack of transparency on budget and financial issues.