“Corruption is criminal and immoral. It is theft from all of you, from each and every Albanian citizen. Those who exploit the public’s trust for private gain must be held accountable,” said EU Ambassador Romana Vlahutin.
TIRANA, Jan. 27 – The European Union has urged the Albanian state to make radical changes in its approach to fighting corruption, according to the findings and recommendations made public this week by an EU project aimed to address graft in Albania.
The findings urge Albanian policy makers and state institutions to make major changes that would including constitutional amendments. It addressed cases of public officials accepting gifts and taking on investigations in other countries where corrupt officials can hide their graft earnings.
Albanian officials were also urged to strengthen corruption prevention measures and boost the fight against graft – including amending legislation on conflict of interest, asset declaration and the law on the Prosecutor’s General office.
The Assessment of the Anti-corruption Framework in Albania Program aims to help the country to launch a serious process of reform, with clear, concrete and verifiable targets, essential to the accountability toward all Albanian citizens.
The project assessed the legal and institutional framework in place for the prevention and fight against corruption in Albania, such as access to public information, political party financing, whistle-blowing, asset declarations by public officials, conflict of interest regulation, investigation, prosecution and adjudication of corruption, and fight against corruption in the judiciary.
Europe experts made a total of 68 recommendations on the mechanism of governance, jurisdiction and good judicial conduct in the area of investigation, prosecution and adjudication of corruption-related offenses.
“Corruption is criminal and immoral. It is theft from all of you, from each and every Albanian citizen. Those who exploit the public’s trust for private gain must be held accountable,” said EU Ambassador Romana Vlahutin. “Policies that underpin integrity and good governance should be a top priority. Integrity is essential for building institutions which are strong enough to resist corruption.”
The Albanian minister on local issues and national coordinator against corruption, Bledi Çuçi, said prosecutors were working on corruption investigations for 535 officials, including a significant number of high officials.
“The assessment … comes at a crucial and right moment while at the same time, substantial reforms are being undertaken such as those in the public administration, the public services and the judiciary,” the minister said.
Vassilis Maragos of the EU’s Neighborhood and Enlargement Negotiations Department said that preventing and fighting corruption is a key issue within the enlargement agenda and one of the main concerns to be addressed in Albania.
“It is now crucial to see convincing efforts, steady progress, as well as tangible and sustainable results in this area,” Maragos added.
