Rama, as CNA/ Without the Brussels seal, the draft Criminal Code cannot pass the parliament

2025-08-01 13:18:00, Politikë CNA

Rama, as CNA/ Without the Brussels seal, the draft Criminal Code cannot pass the

Prime Minister Edi Rama

Prime Minister Edi Rama, in a reaction on social networks, reacted to the call from journalists' associations to urgently intervene in the draft of the Criminal Code, informing that the Ministry of Justice and the Council of Ministers did not participate in the drafting of the draft, but entrusted it to a group of experts, under the leadership of the Director of the School of Magistrates, Professor Arben Rakipi.

Rama emphasized that the government has received and is studying the draft to then confront the positions of each party with the group of experts.

Prime Minister Edi Rama said that, after all the working group's meetings with all interested parties and in complete independence from the government, the Ministry of Justice will receive the revised draft and will of course also consult with the European Commission, because without the seal of Brussels, the draft cannot go to parliament!

"I see that some journalist associations have made us an imperative call to urgently intervene in the draft of the New Criminal Code, which shows that those who should inform the public about the newly launched process of discussing this draft have not yet understood (even though it was stated very clearly by the Minister of Justice) that the Ministry of Justice and the Council of Ministers have not participated in the drafting of the draft, but have entrusted it to a group of honorable experts, under the leadership of the Director of the School of Magistrates, Professor Arben Rakipi.

Thus, for now, the government is simply one of many parties in this process and we have received and are studying the draft, to then confront our positions with those of the expert group, which we also suggest to the associations alarmed about press freedom, which at this stage, instead of being alarmed, should feel very relieved and respected, because they have all the time necessary to study and then confront the draft of the New Criminal Code with the working group, just as the government will do and as all interested parties should do - especially those within the system, which instead of giving hasty and ridiculous statements to the press, would do well to sit down with the expert group and confront their opinions.

This is a democratic and transparent process, where whoever wants to contribute to a New Penal Code for Albania 2030 in the EU has the open roads and all the necessary time, while whoever wants to make their own noise can do so, because democracy also has its own noisemakers, but we cannot say that no one asked us.

After all the working group's meetings with all interested parties and in complete independence from the government, the Ministry of Justice will receive the revised draft and will of course consult it with the European Commission, because without the seal of Brussels, the draft cannot go to parliament!

"So, friends of the press associations, stay calm because no harm can come to you from the New Penal Code, in Albania that is heading to the EU and not the USSR," Rama writes.

We recall that a few days ago, CNA also took the same line of stance, emphasizing that this draft of the Criminal Code must definitely receive the EU seal./ CNA