EU ambassador encourages political dialogue

EU ambassador encourages political dialogue
Amid a political crisis which has been going on for the past six months and following Sunday's local polls, which saw the boycott of the opposition, the head of EU delegation, Luigi Soreca has issued an important message today for political parties in the country to engage in dialogue.

Full statement:

It is time that Albanian government, opposition and institutions demonstrate political maturity and urgently engage in a political dialogue to overcome the current situation.

It is also time to move forward with the rule of law reforms. The implementation of justice reform continues and it is irreversible. Focus now is to establish SPAK and bring the Constitutional Court back to its functionality. Once the rigorous vetting of candidates is concluded, SPAK will allow Albania to further enhance its fight against #corruption and organized crime, while the Court will be able to clarify all outstanding issues related to constitutional rights, including on electoral matters.

Fight against #corruption should continue on a daily basis. Prosecution offices should investigate any form of alleged corruption, including electoral offences and vote-buying, in application of existing legislation. To confirm that the criminal justice cycle works effectively it is also important that final convictions are delivered by courts on outstanding indictments for serious cases of organised crime. Furthermore, cross-party work should be rapidly resumed on electoral reform.

All Albanian Institutions and political leaders should concentrate their efforts on these objectives in view of the crucial EU Council decision next October. The EU will continue to fully support Albania and its citizens, who strongly believe in the European future of their country.