EU, US urge Albania to keep vetting judges, prosecutors
Associated PressTIRANA, Albania — The European Union and the United States on Tuesday urged Albania to pass a constitutional amendment to complete the vetting of the judiciary in its path toward becoming a member of the bloc’s one day. A judicial reform approved in 2016, following direct assistance from Brussels and Washington, has vetted hundreds of judges and prosecutors but some 300 others have still remained. A joint EU-US statement said “the vetting of judges and prosecutors is a fundamental element of justice reform.” Judicial corruption has plagued post-communist Albania, hampering its democratic processes. An International Monitoring Operation has been overseeing the vetting process which checks that judges’ and prosecutors’ property had been acquired legitimately or that they had met anti-corruption and professional standards throughout their careers. Both EU and U.S. “strongly” support the vetting extension urging Albanian parliamentarians to “see this as a matter of national interest.” “A vote for the voting extension is a vote for the future of Albania in the EU,” said the statement.
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