TIRANA, Sept. 23 – With September coming to a close, a self-imposed deadline by the government to approve a major justice reform in Albania is being missed.
Prime minister Edi Rama had said that upon completing the judicial reform, which he had planned for mid-September, they would ask Brussels to launch the full membership negotiations with Tirana.
The international community has clearly said that judiciary reform is fundamental in Albania’s further progress toward integration into the EU and also democracy.
Meanwhile the opposition Democratic Party has offered its draft version with some 300 amendments, saying they are the only way to reform the judiciary in the country.
The opposition’s move comes after months of absence from the parliamentary commission involved in the reform.
Earlier, international pressure and hopes for an EU bid push, had led the ruling Socialist coalition to try pass its first draft this month – now they only hope to get it done by the end of the year.
The draft prepared by the parliamentary commission, where the opposition did not take part, was completed with the help of EU and American experts.
Washington has been a key player in the process, and last week U.S. Ambassador Donald Lu said that Albanians do not trust the justice system and that the country still have a long way ahead to achieve the desired results.
The five-year mission of Just, an USAID program, was completed last week. It offered 10 million dollars to support of the justice system in Albania.
“Albania has a long way to clean up the justice system, but thanks to the Just project, now 80 percent of court hearings are being recorded,” said Lu, something which he said contributed “into bringing more transparency in the Albanian justice” system.
The ambassador pledged that they would continue the support in the judicial sector for a comprehensive judicial reform.
“The people of Albania deserve an honest, fair and independent judicial system,” he said.
