On Wednesday 12 July, the plenary session of the European Parliament adopted the 2022 report on Albania (536 votes in favour, 54 against and 32 abstentions). While the twenty-page document welcomes Tirana’s “resolute” commitment to EU membership, it also calls for intensified reforms to strengthen the functioning of the rule of law.
“The result of today’s vote shows that the European Parliament recognises these efforts and that Albania is fully aligned with the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy. It recognises the merit that the country has shown on the road to EU membership”, commented Isabel Santos (S&D, Portuguese).
The report also stresses that the Albanian government has made progress on EU-related reforms, in particular by strengthening the European integration coordination structure and the role of Parliament in the EU integration process.
However, the document warns that further reforms are still needed to meet the accession criteria “by 2030 at the latest”. The government should therefore focus on the rule of law and the judicial system, by improving the operational capacity of the High Court, the High Justice Inspector and the School of Magistrates.
Efforts should also be made to combat corruption and organised crime, by establishing a “solid record of corruption cases” and pursuing the seizure, confiscation and recovery of criminal assets.
Commitments should be made to guarantee media freedom, the defence of fundamental rights and the protection of minorities.
Finally, MEPs also expressed concern about “unjustified delays” on the part of the Commission in the EU accession process for the countries of the Western Balkans, and called on it to speed up its support for the enlargement countries. (Original version in French by Thomas Mangin)