TIRANA, April 18 – Parliament of Albania approved Tuesday evening the members of the two ad hoc committees that will select the members of the vetting institutions that will scan 800 judges and prosecutors as part of the judicial reform adopted in July 2016, considered key to Albania’s EU membership.
The names proposed by the members of the ruling majority received the approval by 82 lawmakers present in the session while the opposition boycotted the vote.
In his address, Prime Minister Edi Rama said that the vetting process is irreversible and accused the opposition parties of trying to block Albania’s EU path.
“The failure to complete the vetting process hampers the country’s membership to EU. Unfortunately the Democratic Party is almost dividing us from Europe where we want to belong. At first they wanted Albania like all Europe, but now they are impeding integration and refusing to be part of the justice reform,” Rama said. “Vetting can be delayed, but the judiciary sector will be cleansed. The establishment of a justice system free from corruption and to serve the citizens cannot be stopped. This is not a political crisis, but a nervous breakdown of the Democratic Party.”
The first ad-hoc committee will have 12 members and the second one will have six members, with an equal share of representation from the ruling majority and the opposition. The majority has voted only for its nine members whereas the opposition is yet to put forward its candidates.
Earlier this week, opposition parties led by the Democratic Party said they were ready to join the vetting process on the condition that six laws of the justice reform are revised.
Following meetings with Germany and Netherland’s high officials, Democratic Party chairman Lulzim Basha said that a caretaker government is the only way. According to Basha, the caretaker government must have a political mandate to fight drug trafficking and drug money, implement decriminalization law and pave the way to free and fair elections.
“Rama has violated the agreement reached on July 21st to approve the seven laws. United States of America forced the law while EU failed to oblige Rama to stick to the deal,” Basha said, explaining that the six laws of the vetting process “have been approved without the consent of the opposition cast aside by Edi Rama in his efforts to capture the justice system.”
