The EU Commission published its annual report on countries that aspire to join the European Union, during the Foreign Affairs Council meeting held in Luxemburg.
The report noted that despite challenges posed by the pandemic, the country remained “committed” to carrying out the EU-oriented reforms, and “delivering tangible and sustainable results”.
Most importantly, the report determined that Albania has fulfilled all the criteria set out in the Council Conclusions on holding the first Inter-Governmental Conference (IGC).
Albania also made advancements in fields such as the judiciary and continued to implement a comprehensive justice reform, which has been bringing in positive results, highlighted the report.
One of the main achievements of the judicial was considered to be the appointment of three new judges in the Constitutional Court, which enabled the tribunal to fill in its remaining vacancies and be fully functional after a long hiatus.
In regards to the vetting process, the report indicated that in 62% of the cases, officials were either discharged or they resigned in order to dodge background checks.
According to the EU Commission, progress has also been achieved in tackling corruption and organized crime, one of the criteria for holding the first IGC.
Albania was praised for making the necessary efforts to reach a steady record in the fight against corruption, even though this continues to be “an objective that requires political will and a structured and continuous action plan”.
Sentencing linked to cases involving high-ranking officials continues to be limited, which promotes the culture of a ‘lack of impunity’ amongst powerful individuals. Specialized structures against corruption (SPAK and the anti-corruption tribunals) should be able to significantly strengthen the state’s general capacity to investigate and convict those involved in corruptive affairs.
In general, corruption is prevalent in the majority of public life and the business world and it continues to be one of the most serious concerns.
Other concerns are linked to the mismanagement of public resources as well as public functions, through claims of vote-buying and selling as well as the leaked database of citizens’ personal data – which included their political tendencies – that was collected by the current ruling party.
In addition, the report also condemned cases of verbal abuse, smear campaigns, and threats directed at journalists.
“Tensions amongst political actors and journalists have been on the rise during the COVID-19 pandemic and in the context of the parliamentary elections,” – stated the report.
The European Commission also noted that the number of Albanian asylum seekers in the EU in 2020, dropped by 66% since 2019, going from 20.145 to 6.935.
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