“The adoption of the justice reform represents a moment in time that started a new era for rule of law in Albania. It is one of the most important steps taken by the country in the 30 years since the fall of the dictatorship,” declared the EU ambassador, Luigi Soreca.
During the round-table marking the 5th anniversary of the Justice Reform in Albania, where the new strategy for 2021-2025 was put forward, The EU diplomat noted that after 5 years of hard work, the continuation of the reform is fundamental.
“We consider the main objective for the next 4 years, is to work even harder to close and seal the implementation of the reform. The new parliament in September will have an important responsibility and will be scrutinized on their engagement,” said Soreca.
According to the ambassador, the justice reform has highly contributed to opening another door for Albania to the EU and that its continuation is fundamental to convince member states and to achieve a “just European Albania that so many Albanians want”.
“An effective implementation requires follow-up, commitment, engagement and intensified dialogue…Let me take the occasion today to ask for more resilience, more cooperation and consultation and more leadership from all sides of the political spectrum, from all justice institutions and from civil society and academia,” appealed the EU ambassador.
“The ongoing work on the efficiency of the judiciary is in my view the priority of priorities. Focusing on delivering on the basic expectations of the citizens; efficiently delivering justice. It is then important to secure some of the greatest gains of the justice reform, independence and integrity of the justice system. In the next months, when some of the new institutions will be renovated,” said ambassador Soreca.
The EU ambassador continued by highlighting that the second phase of the reform should make sure to bring Albanian justice closer to the European one.
“The implementation phase in these 5 years has brought the acknowledgment of the complexity of the reform. Its implementation has not been easy; it has not been perfect. But these 5 years have also brought us the conviction about the necessity of this reform,” noted the EU ambassador.
On July 22nd 2016, the Parliament passed with 140 votes in favor, the constitutional changes that contributed to the start of the reform that would closely examine all the high-ranking officials of the justice system. Since then, in collaboration with experts from the US and EU, around 420 judges and prosecutors have been verified through a process also known as ‘vetting’.
The Independent Commission of Qualification has confirmed 174 judges and prosecutors, whereas 155 were laid off, 55 resigned, 25 have yet to receive a final judgement, 8 have interrupted the process and 3 have been suspected from office for 1 year. At the moment, dozens of justice officials are still awaiting to become part of the vetting process.
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