Albania’s Courts Face Space and Safety Crisis in Aging Buildings
Albania’s courts are struggling with overcrowded, deteriorating buildings and large numbers of case files, according to the report. The Tirana Court of Appeals, housed in a former 1957 police station, now serves the whole country after a 2023 judicial map change. Staff and files have outgrown the space, with corridors filled by cabinets and documents and conditions described as damp and mouldy.
The report focuses on Tirana’s Court of Appeals of General Jurisdiction, located in a three-storey building originally completed in 1957 as a police precinct. After Albania approved a new judicial map in 2023, the court’s reach expanded nationwide, bringing more staff and case records into the same premises.
Visitors pass security checks before entering a crowded lobby and waiting area where hearings are announced. Inside, corridors hold cabinets, shelves and chairs loaded with files, while the building is described as damp and mouldy. The article was published by BIRN on October 13, 2026.
The conditions may affect judges, court staff, lawyers, defendants and families who rely on the appeals court. Overcrowding and poor air quality could slow proceedings, heighten health risks, and make access to justice more stressful or unequal. Because the Tirana court now handles cases from across Albania after the 2023 map change, any disruption there may ripple through the wider system, potentially delaying outcomes for people awaiting decisions.