TIRANA TIMES
TIRANA, Dec. 20 – The new 2.3 million euro project funded by the European Union to support the strengthening of the rule of law in Albania was officially launched this week.
The Consolidation of the Justice System in Albania Project is run by EURALIUS, the EU body that has been assisting the Albanian Ministry of Justice and judicial institutions to develop an independent, impartial, efficient, professional, transparent and modern justice system, therefore contributing to the restoring of people’s confidence in their institutions and to the consolidation of democracy and rule of law in the country.
The Opinion and Analytical Report recently published by the European Commission re-emphasized the importance of the rule of law and justice reform for Albania’s accession. The Council of the EU has endorsed the Opinion of the Commission and reaffirmed that future evaluation of Albania will be focused on the twelve key priorities outlined by the Commission, including strengthening of the rule of law, and justice reform.
This project will continue for five years bringing international experts from different EU Member States, who together with 2 local experts, will work during the coming 30 months on Justice Organization and Justice Reform, Modernization of the Judiciary, Enforcement of Rulings, Court Administration and Case Management, Criminal Justice and Participation.
Charg顤’Affaires of the EU Delegation to Albania Luigi Brusa noted that “reforming the justice system cannot be patchwork. It cannot be done upon ad hoc decisions. The rule of law needs to derive from a comprehensive vision and an all-encompassing strategy towards the goals of transparency, accountability and efficiency”.
“There is no such thing as a ‘majority rule of law’, or an “opposition rule of law,” he said, adding that broad political consensus between political forces on judicial reform was a necessary condition for progress”.
The project is being implemented by the Spanish Ministry of Justice in consortium with the Italian High Council of the Judiciary.
Judiciary is one of the main areas in which Brussels reminds Albania it should increase its fight along the steps of integration into the bloc.
On Tuesday USAID, in collaboration with the Ministry of Justice and the High Council of Justice, organized a conference, “Toward more Transparent, Effective and Accountable Justice in Albania,” to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing the Albanian justice system, and to launch USAID’s new Albanian Justice Sector Strengthening Project (JuST).
USAID Albania Mission Director Joseph C.Williams affirmed the U.S. government’s commitment to continue assistance to strengthen the rule of law and democratic governance in Albania.
Justice Minister Bujar Nishani and the High Council of Justice Deputy Chair, Kreshnik Spahiu, noted the importance of bringing all key players together to weigh in on pressing issues related to the need for more transparent and efficient functioning of Albanian courts.
Conference discussions centered on ways to create a more robust university and continuous legal education, improve self-regulation of the legal profession, as well as better relations between the courts and civil society and the media.
The USAID Albanian Justice Sector Strengthening Project (JuST) is a five-year program, which aims to increase court transparency, fairness and efficiency, bolster the watchdog and anti-corruption role of civil society organizations and media, and strengthen the legal profession and education in Albania.
