FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
Although Prime Minister Rama declares that within the year 2030 we will have integration in the EU, in fact Albania has remained in the country. The European Commission published today the progress report for Albania and most of the recommendations have not been implemented.
The EU has found problems in almost all sectors, where the focus undoubtedly remains on justice. According to Brussels, corruption remains a problem and more work is needed to fight it. It is also stated that there are numerous attempts by politicians to influence the judiciary.
Blows have been given to the government as far as tenders are concerned. The abuse of tenders is seen as a problem and measures are required to be taken. There is also criticism of the law on concessions.
Excerpts from the report
1. Albania remains moderately prepared in the field of public administration reform (PAR). It made limited progress in meeting last year's recommendations. A new post of Minister of State for Public Administration and Anti-Corruption was created in January 2024, which provides clear political leadership for the RAP agenda and should improve overall coordination of reform efforts.
2. Concerns remain about attempts at political interference and pressure on the judicial system and deficiencies in the merit-based appointments of non-magistrate members of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) and the Supreme Prosecution Council (SPC) and their integrity.
3. The new judicial map was implemented, but there are still challenges with the quality and efficiency of justice. Several preparatory acts have been approved for the creation of an integrated case management system, but the necessary budget allocations are missing, especially for the judicial component.
4. Overall, corruption remains a serious concern and prevention efforts have had limited impact. The passage of a broad criminal amnesty law saw 40 people convicted by SPAK courts and pardoned in full, and another 65 sentenced to reduced sentences, raising concerns. Targeted risk assessments and dedicated measures are needed to tackle corruption in the most vulnerable sectors, including the police, customs, land and property management, state cadastre and public procurement.
5. Albania is between having a level of preparation and a moderate level of preparation in the area of freedom of expression and has not made any progress during the reporting period. Media independence and pluralism continued to be affected by high market concentration, overlapping business and political interests, lack of transparency of funding sources, high concentration of media ownership, threats and unsafe working conditions for journalists.
6. Albania is moderately prepared in aligning with the EU acquis in the field of justice, freedom and security.
7. Some progress has been made in the fight against organized crime by increasing the capacities of the Specialized Structures Against Corruption and Organized Crime (SPAK), improving the use of financial investigations and amending legislation on psychoactive substances. Further action is needed to strengthen law enforcement capacities and improve the efficiency of investigations.
8. Some progress has been achieved in the field of migration with the adoption of the new migration strategy in line with EU priorities. Further efforts are needed to improve access to asylum and to harmonize the country's visa policy with that of the EU.
9. Transport infrastructure improved, but infrastructure gaps remain and digitization and education need further improvement. Exports of services (tourism) increased, but exports of goods remain well below their potential.
10. Albania is moderately prepared in public procurement. Limited progress has been made in aligning the legal framework for procurement, and there have been concerns regarding the newly introduced temporary exemption provisions in the public procurement law.
11. Albania is moderately prepared in the field of statistics. Some progress has been made improving data transmission to Eurostat
12. Albania is moderately prepared in the field of law for commercial companies. No progress was made in the reporting period
13. Albania is moderately prepared in the field of taxes. Limited progress was made in the reporting period, particularly in the removal of the industrial stimulus scheme. This resulted in Albania being removed from the list of potentially harmful tax regimes within the Forum on Harmful Tax Practices.
14. Albania has a level of preparation in agriculture and rural development. There has been limited progress in administrative capacity building and legislative harmonization.
15. Limited progress was made during the reporting period, particularly in the implementation of the CEFTA protocols and efforts to develop its export control system.
16. The law on concessions and public-private partnerships (PPP) is partially aligned with the EU acquis. Work on a substantial revision of the PPP law with the aim of aligning it with the EU acquis is ongoing. / Pamphlet
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