EC report progress for Albania/ REL analysis: Albanian government and opposition with different assessments

2023-11-09 16:03:49, Aktualitet CNA

EC report progress for Albania/ REL analysis: Albanian government and opposition

Representatives of the Albanian Government said that this year's Progress Report of the European Commission is among the best in recent years, while the opposition parties said that the document proves that there was no improvement compared to the previous year.

The Progress Report approved the day before was submitted today to the Albanian authorities. In it, it was said that Albania is showing serious commitment in the process of European integration, progress in the functioning of justice and economic growth are in the right direction, while corruption and a polarized political climate remain a problem.

In a press conference, the ambassador of the European Union in Albania, Luigi Soreca, said that corruption as a main problem is worrying. However, he appreciated the work being done by the Special Structure against Corruption and Organized Crime (SPAK).

"Corruption is an area of ??serious concern. SPAK has achieved serious investigations in high-level cases. The fight against the culture of impunity must be continued. The justice authorities will have the European Union on their side. Following the money must be the main objective", said Soreca.

As for the other concern related to political polarization, Soreca requested that the majority and the opposition return to dialogue and, referring to the chaos in the Albanian Assembly, appealed for a return to normality.

The implementation and progress of the reforms, according to Ambassador Soreca, are also conditions to benefit from the 6 billion euro fund that the EU has provided for the Western Balkans.

"Economic convergence is the main element for Albania and the other countries of the Western Balkans to get closer to each other. This is the reason why the European Commission approved the 6 billion euro growth plan yesterday," said the European official.

Ambassador Soreca asked for improvement in the management of media freedom. He handed over the Progress Report to the Albanian president, Bajram Begaj. In a press release, the Albanian head of state emphasized that "I appreciate the efforts of the European Commission to accelerate economic integration through the new expansion plan for the Western Balkans".

The political parties have given different evaluations regarding the findings of the Progress Report regarding the reforms that Albania must carry out on the road to the European bloc.

The Deputy Prime Minister, Belinda Balluku, evaluated this report as the best in years.

"This is the most positive Progress Report that has been drawn up for our country and that represents the progress of the reforms we have undertaken, the fight against crime and the rule of law. This report is a fair and independent assessment of what Albania has achieved from the EU which, together with the USA, are our main strategic partners. The Albanian government has declared the fulfillment of the tasks for the negotiations. We have taken concrete steps in the fight against corruption. We have tangible results and today we are talking about numbers," said Balluku.

For the deputy of the Democratic Party in the opposition, Jorida Tabaku, chairperson of the Integration Council, the EC report shows that there is no improvement compared to the one a year ago.

"The report gives a problematic situation in several areas. Compared to last year, there is no improvement in any of the main indicators. The only slight improvement is observed only for statistics, while the public administration has a worsening of the situation. Although the reform is appreciated in law, the EU expects other changes in this reform and the work on this has not started. The report also underlines what are the red lines for the EC, the concern about the law on the legalization of medical cannabis and the problem of money laundering" , Tabaku said.

According to Tabak, the entire political class, such as the government and the opposition, are responsible for these criticisms. She asked that the "black and white" reading of progress reports be ended.

The integration expert, Geron Kamberi, sees the evaluation of the justice reform as positive in this report.

"Compared to previous reports, the main element is the evaluation of the justice reform, as it has left open the possibility that this reform will be further deepened in several areas, mainly against corruption and organized crime," he said.

According to Kamber, in addition to the fight against crime and corruption, the task assigned to Albania through this report is the improvement of the political climate.

Albania started negotiations for membership in July of last year, while it received the status of a candidate country for EU membership in 2014./ REL