Ensuring Effective Protection of Family Relations in Albania: Cohabitation Regulation and Its Implications

This paper aims to analyze the effective protection of family relations in Albania, specifically the regulation of cohabitation and its implications. The authors’ interest in this topic stems from three main circumstances: a) the constantly increasing trend of couples choosing cohabitation instead of marriage; b) the inadequacy of the existing Albanian legal framework to regulate such family relations (the contract regulating the cohabitation in Albania seems to have limited practical use); c) Albania's aspiration for the accession to the EU requires a more specific regulation in this regard, in compliance with the EU legal framework. For these reasons, it is recommended that Albania should regulate cohabitation for registered partnerships through specific and detailed legislation, just like some EU countries have already done.