Albania Granted Conditional Recommendation for Opening EU Accession Negotiations

TIRANA, November 9

The European Commission conditionally recommended on Wednesday the opening of accession talks for Albania’s in the European Union. EU’s Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn said that Albania made steady progress on fulfilling the set priorities on opening the accession negotiations. Thus it was granted a recommendation that is conditioned by the implementation of the Justice Reform and specifically the vetting law, which was suspended by the Constitutional Court.
The European Commission sees progress on the implementation of the decriminalization law and on the fight against corruption. Yet, it was highlighted that Brussels seeks for tangible results on the investigation and penal prosecution of senior officials with criminal records or involved with corruption.
Moreover, the report stresses as key requirement the implementation of the electoral reform and further it expresses concern on the politicization of electoral commissions. So far, this is considered to be the most positive report that Brussels have ever made on Albania. Yet the conditions remain.
A reconfirmation of the recommendation is expected in December by the member countries. Until then, Venice Commission would have issued its stance on the vetting law, which is considered as the cornerstone of the Justice Reform, the main condition for opening the negotiations.

News Source: Local media

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