Democracy

The Congress of Young Europeans has grown into one of the Heinrich Böll Foundation’s most dynamic initiatives for youth participation and cross-border dialogue in Europe. Its history reflects not only the evolving challenges facing the continent, but also the commitment of young people to address them through critical debate, collaboration, and action. While the themes vary each year, the congress always revolves around a shared goal: advancing a more just, democratic, and ecological Europe with the active participation of its youth.

Using Albania as a case study, this article examines the emergence of a domestic anti-gender discourse, its connections to global networks, and the disparities between formal legal protections and lived realities. It also highlights the growing resistance, both local and international, fighting to hold the line against democratic backsliding. Ultimately, the article invites policymakers, activists, and legal professionals to reevaluate what is at stake. The fight against anti-gender ideology is not only about specific rights or communities; it is about the democratic commitment to human dignity, autonomy, and equality. Can we afford to treat this as a fringe concern when the consequences are anything but?

As Europe seeks to redefine itself, it was Ukraine that dominated international discussions at the European Political Community (EPC) Summit—despite the fact that, for the first time, the event was hosted in Albania, a Western Balkan country. Very little was said about the region itself, and even that only on the media sidelines.

On 11 May 2025, Albania will hold parliamentary elections, the first since officially opening EU accession negotiations. While some significant changes mark this election—most notably, diaspora voting and partial candidate list openness—major systemic factors remain unchanged. The Socialist Party (SP), in power since 2013, appears poised for an unprecedented fourth mandate.

Moving forward, it is imperative to strengthen mechanisms for safeguarding the rights and safety of those targeted by anti-gender mobilizations.

The app ‘Aktiv1st’ is tracking the social media activity of Socialist Party members in Albania and ranking them according to engagement levels. This is just the most recent episode in a process of dramatic erosion of the lines that separate party and state

Feminist and LGBTIQ+ issues are almost as diverse as the communities themselves, yet both movements are discriminated against, marginalized, often attacked, and violated, simply because of their non-conformity to conventional and hegemonic notions of gender.

The concept of “just transition” has so far arrived in Eastern and Southeastern Europe only as a fragment of nice environmental jargon. There is a lack of protagonists strong enough to create conditions for a more powerful social and political impact. In order to act within ecological limits and remain below a warming of 1.5° Celsius, we must also consume less. Until now, consumption, like growth, has been equated with well-being and prosperity.