EU helps Dibra District Court renovation

TIRANA, Nov 23 – Senior European Commission official Luigi Brusa and Albanian Justice Minister Enkelejd Alibeaj have inaugurated the renovated Dibra District Court building in Peshkopia.
The works on the Dibra District Court started on 23 July 2007 and lasted for one year. The main problems which the project has successfully addressed were a lack of isolation rooms for defendants, a security system, fire prevention measures, computer networks as well as humidity, cracked walls, and similar problems. The newly renovated building includes one penal court room, four civil court rooms, and necessary facilities for the judges, prosecutors, defendants and the public. Furniture and equipment were also an important part of this renovation works contract.
The renovation and furnishing of the Dibra District Court, as well as the previously completed Appeal Courts in Kor衠and Vlora, follows from the “Masterplan for Judicial Infrastructure”, which identified these courts as priority investments. The Masterplan, completed by the EC and the Judiciary in 2005, provides a complete overview of the situation of the courts in Albania and makes recommendations for investments in the sector over the next 15 years.
Strengthening the independence of Albania’s judiciary and improving its efficiency is one of the key aims of EC’s cooperation with the Government of Albania in the Stabilization and Association Process. Both parties agree that an adequate court infrastructure is an important pre-condition for judges, prosecutors, lawyers and judicial administrators to work effectively and to contribute to the development of a more independent, impartial, efficient, professional, transparent and modern justice system.
Brusa, head of the Operations Section of the Delegation of the European Commission to Albania, noted that in order to guarantee the sustainability of this achievement and the further improvement of judicial infrastructure, “Donors cannot be expected to fund all infrastructure needs of the Albanian judiciary and we expect the Albanian authorities to make the necessary allocations in their budget for the implementation of the Masterplan and, in this case specifically, for the operation and maintenance of this building.”