Artificial Intelligence - Albania

Albania has no legislation dedicated exclusively to artificial intelligence. AI is governed indirectly through horizontal digital, data-protection, cybersecurity, and consumer-rights statutes. Formal AI-specific drafting is projected after 2026 in line with EU accession timelines.

Adopted 24 July 2024, this decision approved a Methodology and Technical Standards for the Use of AI in Albania, covering ethical principles such as human oversight, transparency, and accountability. The instrument applies only to the public sector and carries no enforcement mechanism.

The Digital Agenda of Albania 2022–2026 (Council of Ministers Decision No. 370) sets strategic objectives for AI adoption in public services and data-driven governance. A draft National AI Strategy also exists but has not been adopted as binding legislation.

Law No. 124/2024 on the Protection of Personal Data, in force from 31 January 2025, replaces Law 9887/2008 and is fully harmonised with the EU GDPR and Directive 2016/680. It is the primary binding instrument with direct bearing on AI systems that process personal data.

As an EU candidate since 2014, Albania is obliged to progressively align its legal order with the EU acquis, including the EU AI Act. The European Commission's December 2025 country fiche documents Albania's accession progress; 28 of 33 negotiation chapters have been opened. Full EU AI Act transposition is a future accession obligation, not yet in effect.

In September 2025, Albania appointed 'Diella'—an AI system developed by AKSHI with Microsoft/OpenAI—as Minister of State for Public Procurement, the first such cabinet-level AI role globally. Critics and the SCiDEV February 2026 working paper note that the pace of AI deployment in government has outrun the legal and institutional frameworks needed to ensure rights-respecting, EU-compatible oversight.