2 days before the Parliament has to vote on the vetting extension, the EU delegation along with the US embassy, came out with a joint statement urging MPs to vote in its favour.
In a joint press statement published on February 8, they said that “regardless of party affiliations, MPs should consider this a matter of national interest instead’.
“Voting on the vetting extension if a vote for the future of Albania in the EU,” – continues the statement.
On February 10, Parliament will be voting on the extension of the mandate for our vetting bodies.
So far hundreds of judges and prosecutors have passed the process of verification and dozens of others have been dismissed due to various violations.
Because of the fact that there is still a significant number of judges and prosecutors who haven’t become part of the process of revaluation, the mandate of our current vetting bodies will have to be extended for another 2.5 years.
In order to do this, the Constitution needs to be changed, hence the Parliament vote on February 10, where at least 94 MPs need to vote in favour of this extension.
The ruling Socialist party only has 77 MPs and will need to get the remaining necessary votes from the opposition.
The Democratic Party still hasn’t come out with an official statement, but many Democratic MPs have shown their support.
The justice reform was adopted in Parliament back in July 2016 with 140 votes in favour.
Vetting extension has also received support from the Venice Commission, in an official opinion published in December 2021, following a request of the Albanian Parliament.
