U.S. ambassador Donald Lu and the head of the EU delegation Romana Vlahutin confirmed that the United States and the European Union will not allow that the reform fails
TIRANA, May 5 – The saga of the justice reform in Albania is entering its final chapter as the ad hoc committee was presented this week with a final draft compiled with the assistance of foreign experts.
The draft reflects suggestions and recommendations of the Venice Commission and also addresses concerns raised by the opposition regarding constitutional amendments.
U.S. ambassador to Tirana Donald Lu and the head of the EU delegation to Albania, Ambassador Romana Vlahutin, who attended the meeting of the ad hoc parliamentary committee, said that the United States and the European Union will not allow that the reform fails.
Besides highlighting the importance of the reform for opening accession talks with the bloc, EU ambassador Vlahutin also put a deadline for the adoption of the reform.
“I ask the committee to back a real agenda for the approval of the reform, by the end of May in the committee and by the end of June in Parliament,” said Vlahutin.
U.S. ambassador Lu, while evaluating the work of the Euralius and Opdat experts who helped drafting the final document, urged the political class to stop playing games and pass the reform.
“If this reform fails, you the members of this committee discredit yourselves before those who have elected you and will also discredit your relation with the United States and the European Union. Luckily, we won’t let that happen,” Lu told the committee.
“Stop the political games and start finishing the reform. It is your duty,” Lu added.
Meanwhile, a meeting of the ambassadors with the parliamentary groups of the main political parties has been postponed for next week, while the reason was not immediately clear.
For the Speaker of Parliament and SMI chairman Ilir Meta the justice reform can be considered as complete.
“Since yesterday, following the final opinion of the Euralius and Opdat experts, I believe everything is concluded and the SMI parliamentary group is ready to vote the draft not today but since yesterday,” SMI chairman Meta told reporters.
The draft was also backed by Prime Minister Rama who declared in Parliament on Thursday that the ruling coalition of Socialist Party and Socialist Movement for Integration is ready to vote the constitutional amendments on justice reform.
Meanwhile, the opposition has asked for more time to better evaluate whether their concerns have been appropriately addressed in the draft.
The justice reform has undergone many setbacks in the past, while the main political parties were waiting the opinion of the two foreign missions on the justice reform draft to help overcome divergences between camps.
Now that the experts of the missions have already presented their draft, next week shall prove decisive to the fate of the reform.
