TI: Corruption, no political will to fight it

But for Albania, the report has more critics than this. Its conclusion is that:
“The continued stalemate between political parties has stalled important reforms for the past two years. The judicial system needs reforms to ensure independence and the accountability and professionalism of judges.”

For the Transparency International organization, it is the lack of political will what impedes fights against corruption in Albania. The Albanian governments, as well as the governments of Kosovo, Macedonia and Turkey are asked to make more efforts for guaranteeing the implementation of anti-corruption laws; to built capacities and improve the governance of main institutions.

Although the Albanian government has promised radical reforms in the judicial system, Albania’s budget has shrunk in the past four years, making it impossible to implement systematic changes. In Europe, Albania has the lowest level of government expenditures in the judicial system, and the wages of the judges are 50% lower than its neighboring Kosovo.

Poor working conditions for judges might be one of the reasons that Albania is the country with fewer judges in Europe, in proportion with its population.

 Besides insufficient resources, their influence and lack of meritocracy have created great problems in terms of withdrawing applications. The report also notes limited immunity in cases of power abuse and corruption. There is political interference in the appointment of civil servants, and the parliament lacks a professional and independent administration.
The Transparency International reminds that the accession process to the EU requires countries to meet certain financial, economic, social and political standards.

“This includes progress in the area of anti-corruption and good governance, which has proven a critical stumbling block for candidates and potential candidate countries,” the report underlines.

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