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Albanian parliament approves judicial reform to join EU

Xinhua, July 22, 2016 Adjust font size:

The Albanian Parliament unanimously passed the draft law on judicial reform on Friday, paving the way for joining the European Union (EU).

The judicial reform came to a happy conclusion after a strenuous process which lasted almost two years and produced much anger and frustration among all parties involved, as well as among the Albanian people. But in the end, the Albanian parliament approved the reform by consensus.

Since Albania became a candidate to join the EU in June 2014, the Union had asked Tirana to take concrete actions to fight crime and corruption to meet the EU accession standard. Among the requirements, reforming Albania's judicial system was the top priority.

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said Friday morning that the vote was a real kick-start to a long-awaited revolution in the judicial system.

"I want to assure the Albanians that the corrupt judges and prosecutors will undergo a thorough process of assessment of professional competence and integrity, a merciless struggle against all those responsible for a misguided justice and policy," Rama said while addressing the plenary session.

The EU's Albania office welcomed the vote, saying the reform would make the Southeastern European country's judiciary more "accountable, independent and transparent" in the fight against organized crime and corruption.

"These are all key priorities for Albania on its path toward integration into the EU," the office said.

"Now it is important that the implementation of the reform starts immediately, with the view that the people of Albania are served by a justice system that is firmly based on European standards," it said. Endi