The next roundtable on Chapter 23 offered a deeper look at the latest developments in the process of negotiations and on the ongoing efforts towards the preparation of the second Rule of Law Report. The meeting, as part of the Partnership Platform for European Integration (PPIE) and the National Convention for European Integration (NCEI), was organised by the Ministry of Justice and the European Movement in Albania (EMA).

Gledis Gjipali, Executive Director of the European Movement in Albania, opened the discussion by emphasizing the importance of including stakeholders in the roundtables and the dedication that EMA and various other civil society partners have towards this practice. He underlined the importance of informing and disseminating information to different stakeholders, but also to general public. Gjipali also highlighted the significance of receiving feedback from the Ministry or any other state institution on the approaches and inclusion of recommendations issued by civil society during the consultation process of strategic documents such as the Cross-Cutting Justice Strategy, or for other vital strategic documents as benchmarks for the European integration process. He also brought to attention the regular organisation of these roundtables  within PPIE, including the possibility of combining members of PPIE roundtables with Inter Institutional Groups (GNPIE) so they can serve as examples for roundtables on other chapters of negotiation, which are just as important as Chapter 23.

Tedi Dobi, Deputy Minister of Justice and Negotiator for Chapter 23, expressed the need for these platforms in today’s dynamic context. He announced that Albania is preparing to open two more Clusters, namely Cluster 2 and 3, which focus on the economy and competition issues. He emphasized that work must continue to meet the 14 interim benchmarks set by the European Union for Chapter 23, divided into three sub-areas: 4 benchmarks for the judiciary and justice reform, 3 benchmarks for the fight against corruption and 7 benchmarks for the protection and promotion of human rights. Dobi informed that a weekly meeting with EU representatives is held to discuss these benchmarks in detail and that 131 concrete measures that need to be taken from an institutional, legal and internal practice point of view have been identified as a result of these discussions. He noted how these benchmarks and the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans are framed together and he called for their advancement, citing the expectations of Marta Kos, EU Commissioner for Enlargement, to complete the technical negotiation process in Albania by the end of 2027.

Elona Bano, Director of Integration and Negotiations in the Ministry of Justice, discussed a few important topics included in Chapter 23 and 24. She explained that the Roadmap on the Rule of Law was thoroughly studied and 124 critical gaps had been identified and will be worked on. She noted the implementation of two important points foreseen for 2024, namely: the investigation of magistrates who resigned during the vetting process, conducted by the Independent Qualification Commission (KPK) and the reform for freedom of expression carried out by Audiovisual Media Agency (AMA) for the measurement of the audience. Regarding freedom of expression, she informed the public that 300 police officers  had been trained on their approach towards journalists. Bano congratulated the staff which uploads new cases in real time to the online platform created by the European Commission on organised crime, which has allowed for the EU reports to be more thorough and complete. Bano expressed that discussions have been ongoing throughout the latest months regarding issues such as the anonymisation of the names of the magistrates who have been appointed or gotten to rise in the ranks, as well as the filling of the vacancies present after the vetting process. She highlighted the difficulties faced in reaching conclusions when there are different actors involved such as independent institutions and there is a lack of hierarchy.  She concludes by encouraging civil society alongside public institutions to invest in the culture of the Rule of Law and to view the ambitious Growth Plan as a positive incentive to successfully reach the milestones within the right time. 

During the discussions with the participants, representatives from civil society, academia and public institutions a few important topics relating to challenges of the implementation of Chapter 23 were highlighted such as the vetting process and the independence of justice institutions, freedom of speech and the protection of journalists, as well as the rights of national minorities and marginalised groups. During the discussions, many recommendations were suggested regarding both specific topics as well as regarding the process of negotiations and the implementation of reforms.