Albanian public notaries are lobbying the Albanian government to let them settle divorces by mutual consent, rather than having couples go through the courts.
The initiative has gained momentum among public notaries and interested parties, after years of similar attempts.
“There are about 7,000 divorces in the Republic of Albania, and we know that most of them are by mutual consent or with the full will of both spouses. We also know that there is an added cost to them because the spouses cannot go to all the divorce hearings and they appoint lawyers, which means additional costs,” said Elona Saliaj, a public notary who started the initiative.
In addition to the elevated costs associated with court proceedings, divorcing couples have remained in limbo given the massive backlog in Albanian courts which has caused undue delays spanning years in some cases.
According to Saliaj, since public notaries are already involved in divorce proceedings, it is only natural to attribute them additional powers.
If this measures is implemented, Albanian couples will be able to sign a divorce agreement—which must detail parental visitation rights, alimony and other obligations—at the public notary. The agreement will then be forwarded to a courts for a final approval.
