Representatives of the European Union, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom expressed concern after the blocking of SPAK's request in the Assembly, while Rama responded with Balluk's defense and new accusations against the prosecution.
The stance of the socialist majority to vote in parliament to protect their colleague, Belinda Balluku, has raised concerns about the consequences that this change of course towards justice may have in the European integration process, where the independence of judicial bodies and the fight against corruption are the fundamental evaluation criteria.
Immediately after Socialist Party MPs and Prime Minister Edi Rama raised the red cards, a number of foreign embassies in Tirana and the European Union Delegation expressed their concern about this stance.
“Commitment to the rule of law and the fight against corruption are of fundamental importance for the EU accession process,” the EU Delegation office in Tirana told the media.
Stressing the importance of the independence of the judiciary, the EU delegation adds that “ensuring an appropriate environment for SPAK to effectively carry out its work is essential to credibly support Albania’s progress towards membership in the European Union”.
Public reactions after this vote were also made by the German and Dutch embassies in two similar positions, emphasizing that effective criminal prosecution of corruption is a necessary condition for making progress in the integration process.
"Our clear expectation is that even in these cases, criminal prosecution through justice can be carried out quickly and without obstacles. Albanian politics is still being asked to guarantee this process," the German and Dutch embassies said in a statement.
Before the vote on Balluk's immunity took place, the British Embassy in Tirana, one of the countries supporting justice reform, appealed that "parliamentary immunity should not be an obstacle to equal accountability before the law."
Prime Minister Edi Rama responded snobbishly to the partners' positions, saying that in principle he agreed with them 100%. But at the same time, Rama again defended Balluku and accused SPAK of external influence in this matter.
"Belinda Balluku is not accused of corruption and the investigation of the case must continue, undisturbed by either obstruction or the slander of SPAK by factors outside the boundaries of independent judicial power," Rama wrote on the X platform.
Rama's stance was responded to by the opposition, which accused the prime minister and his stances as a threat to justice and integration.
The work of SPAK and the new justice bodies that emerged from a comprehensive reform adopted in 2016 with the influence of the EU, the US and Britain is a strong condition for the country's progress on the path of integration.
In the European Commission's latest Progress Report for Albania, only SPAK's results were assessed with a positive grade in the fight against corruption and organized crime, while performance in other areas related to governance generally received negative or average grades.
Since its creation, this structure has brought dozens of senior or former officials to justice, while it is the first time that the socialist majority has opposed its request for the lifting of immunity, refusing to listen to public appeals from EU representatives that the Balluk case was seen as a "critical test" for integration. /BIRN/
