Albania has completed the EU accession “screening” process and opened all negotiating chapters within 18 months, but is now at a stage where progress will be judged on core areas including the rule of law, the justice system and anti-corruption efforts, the EU ambassador to the country has said.
The European Commission is assessing whether laws, regulations and measures adopted in recent months show “tangible progress” in what the EU calls the “Fundamentals”, covering issues such as fundamental rights, democratic standards, the rule of law, and the fight against corruption and organised crime, Ambassador Silvio Gonzato told Deutsche Welle in an interview released by the European External Action Service (EEAS).
The Commission will submit its assessment to the EU’s 27 member states, which will decide whether to accept it, he said. If they do, the next step would be to start closing negotiating chapters, he added.
Gonzato said the process should not come “at the detriment of transparency” and inclusivity, and that laws and measures should be adopted following open debate that allows different parts of society to contribute.
EU funding and anti-corruption work
The ambassador noted that the EU is investing about €100 million in projects in Albania linked to social inclusion, including work to help young people move from education into the labour market.
EU money has to be handled in a “transparent and accountable” way, and Albanian authorities should adopt mechanisms to meet EU financial rules, including objective and transparent criteria for selecting projects to fund, he said.
On IPARD agricultural funding — an EU programme that supports rural development — Gonzato stated negotiations between Brussels and Tirana were continuing and that Albania had tasked an external auditor to examine who received grants and payments and whether the money was spent properly.
He said the EU expected the Albanian government to review the audit report and reassure the Commission that safeguards are sufficient for support under IPARD to resume.
Gonzato also spoke about SPAK, Albania’s Special Anti-Corruption Structure, saying EU member states value its work against organised crime and its co-operation with Europol and Eurojust, EU agencies that support cross-border policing and judicial co-ordination.
He stressed the Commission was closely following a proposed amendment to Albania’s Criminal Procedure Code linked to a court’s ability to suspend a public official under investigation, adding that any legislative initiative should be compatible with the government’s commitments on fighting corruption and organised crime.
Asked about political criticism of the judiciary, he said EU annual reports have repeatedly raised concern about attacks against the judiciary and political interference, and that such attacks “should not continue.”
