Konfindustria wants the new bill to include comments from the opposition and other experts in order to increase the effectiveness of the new court system.
TIRANA, June 1 – Representatives of Albania’s business community said this week they would like see changes done the Administrative Courts draft law, which has been waiting for months to be passed by parliament.
Konfindustria, an association made up mainly of Albanian manufacturers, said this week it will hold a joint roundtable with representatives of all parliamentary political parties, government and international officials and legal experts. The aim is to improve the draft law and approve it in parliament as soon as possible, opening the way for the establishment of the Administrative Courts System.
Konfindustria wants the new bill to include comments from the opposition and other experts in order to increase the effectiveness of the new court system.
After a detailed review of the draft and comparing it with European Union countries, Konfindustria says it has determined that there is a need for improvements in some important parts of the bill.
The establishment of Administrative Courts is a constant demand not only by the business community, but also the international institutions, as this court would serve as an independent institution, working to solve conflicts between businesses and the state. This system has become a necessity, especially in the aftermath of the global economic crisis, proponents say.
Albania’s opposition Socialist Party now says it will start fully participating in parliament, which would finally allow for the bill to pass. The Administrative Courts System bill needs two thirds of members of parliaments to vote in order for it to pass, so the Socialist must particulate. And they have mostly boycotted parliament for a year.
The new court system has the support of the business community, international representatives and the civil society, and it has become a symbol of how the political impasse is leaving the parliament’s work undone.
For more than a year, nearly 30 business associations have lobbied in favor of the law, because getting administrative courts to start functioning is one of the most pressing issues for Albania’s business community.
The administrative courts, which make it easier for companies to solve disputes with the government when it comes to taxes and other issues, were supposed to be approved through a law before the summer elections. But approval was delayed because the opposition and ruling parties did not vote for it in time before parliament was dissolved for new elections.
The passage of the bill would pave the way for the establishment of the administrative courts system, an institution which Albanian businesses have been demanding for six years.
The administrative court draft law includes a series of important reforms that will significantly improve and modernize the way administrative issues are handled by the Albanian system of justice, according to its supporters in the business community.
The draft law provides equal positions between the state and its citizens in disputes over administrative issues, ending the supremacy of public institutions in courts when it comes to administrative cases.
