The Special Court Regulation, opposed for weeks by lawyers for the restrictions it imposes on the exercise of their profession, seems to have united the majority and the opposition in the same concern. The Regulation has been in force since September 1, while opposition to it has led to a boycott of the sessions by lawyers.
During discussions in the Laws Committee on the ratification of the Council of Europe Convention for the Protection of the Profession of Lawyer, MP Arjan Ndoja raised concerns about whether the GJKKO regulation conflicts with the standards provided for by the Convention.
Ndoja emphasized that the problem is no longer related only to the content of the regulation, but also to its concrete consequences, as the lawyers' boycott has led to the non-development of court proceedings, creating problems with detention terms and the rights of defendants.
The Minister of Justice, Toni Gogu, also expressed himself along the same lines. "I share the same concern with you," he declared, expressing the Ministry of Justice's readiness to sit down with the parties if its mediation is requested.
Gogu also made it clear that, after the ratification of the Convention, the justice institutions will have to reflect its standards in legal and sub-legal acts. This paves the way for the regulation of the GJKKO to also face the new European standards for the protection and exercise of the legal profession. Albania has already submitted this Convention to the Parliament for ratification.
