TIRANA, Dec. 6 – The European Union has rejected accusations against its EURALIUS mission in Tirana regarding the translation of the Vetting Bill, which was sent for review to the Venice Commission.
Maja Kocijancic, an EU spokesperson, said Monday that these accusations aim to cause delays to the implementation of the justice reform.
“The EU condemns the public spreading of false accusations, which claimed that EURALIUS and the EU Delegation were involved in alleged ”Žintentional mistakes in the English translation of Albanian legislation sent to Venice Commission for review,” she said in a press statement.
According to the EU spokesperson, the justice reform, including the vetting bill has earned an overwhelming support from people of Albania and that acknowledged attempts to delay the implementation of one of the most important bills in the history of the small Balkan country.
“Actions or statements which aim at artificially creating confusion seem to have the sole objective of trying to delaying the implementation of the judicial reform, including the vetting of judges and prosecutors,” she added. “The EU is determined to keep providing all necessary assistance so that citizens of Albania have access to a reliable and accountable justice system.”
The EU spokesperson statement was deemed necessary following a complaint by the Democratic Party over problems with the translated version of the vetting bill sent to the Venice Commission. The Constitutional Court has reviewed the translation of the document following the complaint and found out that the changes were not substantial.
However, former Prime Minister Sali Berisha took to social media and accused Prime Minister Edi Rama, the chairman of the Ad-Hoc Committee Fatmir Xhafa “along with certain segments within EURALIUS mission” regarding the alleged mistakes in the translated document.
“The unprecedented silence of Ambassador Vlahutin speaks louder than words and makes her subject to accusations,” Berisha wrote.
The opposition party and the Union of Judges have appealed two of the most important bills of the justice reform – Vetting Bill and the Bill on the Status of Judges and Prosecutors — to the Constitutional Court.
The latter decided to suspend the implementation of the Vetting Bill while waiting for a response by the Venice Commission, before reaching a final decision on the legitimacy of the bill.
