EU Delegation for Top Channel: Judiciary reform, a priority for every politician

22/05/2019 21:07

The President of Albania, Ilir Meta, said that EURALIUS, the EU mission for assisting with the judiciary reform, has not collaborated to resolve the issue with the Constitutional Court.

According to Meta, the response from EURALIUS was that they cannot come to the meeting, since they are a technical mission.

For the President, this means that there are political orders involved.

Top Channel’s journalist, Muhamed Veliu, asked the EU Delegation in Tirana about their stance on this declaration. Soreca’s response:

We have noted the criticism on the work of the EU-financed technical assistance project for the justice sector EURALIUS. The professionalism, dedication, hard work and integrity of EURALIUS are to be commended. Their assistance has proven indispensable to advance the reform agenda, working closely with other partners like US OPDAT, experts from the EU Member States, and the services of the European Commission. Such support was requested by the Albanian authorities, and the monitoring role of the Commission and the US was approved unanimously by Parliament at the time of adoption of the constitutional amendments.

The justice reform is being implemented in full compliance with the Constitution of Albania and the relevant national legislation.  This is  a complex process but the reform is on track and it is of the utmost importance that all Albanian institutions support it. As regards specifically the formation of the Constitutional Court, it is of course crucial that, as soon as the selection and ranking by the Justice Appointment Council is completed, all competent institutions, including the Presidency of the Republic, make sure that candidates are elected with priority. We are convinced that such duty will be pursued thoroughly and timely.

Justice reform and the EU integration process of Albania should be a priority for every Albanian politician, a reason of unity, not divisiveness, for the benefit of the citizens. The EU will continue its support to the reform process and ensure the adequate monitoring of standards in close cooperation with the US.

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