TIRANA, May 29 – The delegation of Dutch MPs who visited Albania on May 6 and 7 also published on Wednesday their report on the country’s progress in the five key priorities set by the European Union, where the lack of a Constitutional Court and investigations and punishment towards senior officials was noted.
Meanwhile, concerning the resignation of parliament seats by opposition MPs and the domestic crisis of the country, the MPs said they could not comment.
According to the officials, Albania is making serious progress in judicial reform. The commission has given more than 140 decisions and in 40 percent of cases, officials have been dismissed.
As far as the Constitutional Court is concerned, there is currently only one acting judge, while nine other spots are vacant.
For this reason, they argue, it can not currently be considered a functioning state institution.
The government argues that this is due to the success of the vetting process, while government critics talk about a constitutional crisis in which controls and balances have disappeared after the government has taken over the power of the Constitutional Court.
With regard to the fight against corruption, Dutch officials claimed the number of high-level punishments and penalties has been disappointing while collaboration between the police and the Public Prosecutor’s Office is not always calm.
Regarding the fight against organized crime, it is worth mentioning that Albania has achieved results in discovering and destroying cannabis farms and prosecuting their owners.
According to the officials, Albania has made progress in terms of freedom of expression, but should increase the transparency of state advertising in the media.
Albania still has room for further improvements in the protection of property rights, including immovable property registration in a land registry.
