The Chairman of the European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee, David McAllister, during a visit to Tirana on Wednesday, speaking about the European Integration process, considered the issue of the investigation against Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku as a "critical test" in Albania's anti-corruption fight.
The public and legal defense of Prime Minister Edi Rama and the parliamentary majority against Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure and Energy, Belinda Balluku, accused of the criminal offense of violating equality in tenders worth hundreds of millions of euros, has concerned the European Parliament.
The Chairman of the European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee, David McAllister, said on Wednesday during a press conference in Tirana that this issue constitutes a critical test for the country.
"I am not in a position to comment in detail on individual cases, but I will say that the case involving Deputy Prime Minister Balluku is a critical test for Albania in its fight against corruption," he said when asked by journalists about the legal offensive undertaken by Rama to protect himself and the government cabinet from the court suspension decisions.
Asked whether parliament's refusal to lift Balluk's immunity in the face of the Special Prosecution Office's request for her arrest would jeopardize the integration process, McAllister reiterated his position while noting that the issue had been a topic of discussion with Albanian authorities.
"I have said everything there is to say about this issue, it must be investigated thoroughly, we have addressed this issue in internal conversations, but I have nothing more to add," he said.
After waging a legal battle in the Constitutional Court to overturn a decision of the Special Court suspending Balluku from office, Prime Minister Edi Rama submitted to the Assembly with his signature a draft law amending Article 242 of the Criminal Procedure Code, according to which the prime minister and his government cabinet are not affected by the measure of suspension from office as part of a criminal proceeding.
Rama's amendment is being closely monitored by the European Union, which expects any legislative initiative related to the judiciary to be in line with the EU acquis and European standards.
The EU Delegation to Albania told BIRN on Tuesday that monitoring also includes the implementation of the 2016 justice reform in the framework of accession negotiations, because “the rule of law and the independence, accountability and efficiency of the judiciary in Albania are fundamental elements of the EU enlargement process.”
During his appearance with the media, the representative of the European Parliament also conveyed several messages related to the EU's expectations towards Albania in the process of integration negotiations, emphasizing a comprehensive electoral reform and freedom of expression, while emphasizing that for the approximation of legislation, it is not enough to simply adopt laws, but to implement reforms.
"Integration is a process that is based on merit, but we are concerned about political polarization in Albania, we encourage political stability and dialogue," he said, among other things.
Before the media statement, McAllister met with the Prime Minister, the Foreign Minister, the Speaker of the Parliament, and representatives of the opposition and the majority in parliament. /BIRN/
