WG – Judiciary and Fundamental Rights (Chapter 23) – Presentation of Sectoral Strategy on Justice, 02 October 2024

On October 2, 2024, at the Tirana International Hotel, the Ministry of Justice, in collaboration with the European Movement in Albania (EMA), organized a consultative meeting as part of the National Convention on European Integration and the Partnership Platform for European Integration under Chapter 23. This activity resulted from a significant and positive development, namely the drafting of the Intersectoral Justice Strategy, in accordance with the obligations arising from Albania’s integration process into the EU, which brought together around 40 representatives from civil society and academia. The Strategy includes the most important objectives and expected results planned to be achieved within the next seven years.

The opening speech was delivered by Elona Bano, Director of Integration and Negotiations at the Ministry of Justice. She mentioned the positive development of the invitation received by the European Council, within the framework of the Hungarian presidency, for Albania to submit its negotiating position for the first cluster, which includes Chapter 23 and the Political Criteria (functioning of democratic institutions, under the leadership of the Ministry of Justice within the negotiations). She emphasized that the approval of the strategy has several goals and objectives, among which are the reduction of the backlog of cases in courts and the completion and consolidation of the vetting process for magistrates.

Regarding the innovations of the new strategy in the context of the challenges of the European integration process, Tedi Dobi, Deputy Minister of Justice, stated that the drafting of the new justice strategy was based on a comprehensive analysis of the history of reforms in justice, aiming to improve and increase trust in it as key objectives for the action plan. He further mentioned the importance of harmonizing the entire process with the recommendations of the European Commission and consolidating the legal framework in accordance with the EU acquis.

An important aspect of this meeting was the participation of the esteemed professor of Albanian jurisprudence, Njazi Jaho, who expressed notes of optimism in his speech and emphasized the significance of this entire process, stating that its true value lies in its efficiency in practice, with a judicial system unaffected by factors such as corruption, organized crime, or influence by other powers.

Furthermore, during the discussion, the General Director at the Ministry of Justice, Artan Kotro, emphasized the political objectives on which the Intersectoral Strategy is based, such as consolidating the achievements of the justice reform, strengthening independence and impartiality in the justice system to eliminate external influences, and increasing the efficiency of institutions to improve the overall capacity of the judicial system and other justice bodies like the High Judicial Council (KLP) and the High Prosecutorial Council (KLGJ). According to Kotro, consolidation will come after the successful realization and completion of the vetting process, through the improvement and revision of codes and the strengthening of the institutional framework. He stressed the need for the judiciary to strengthen independence and accountability, which can be achieved by empowering the autonomy of justice institutions and establishing strong accountability mechanisms for individuals involved in the system. He also highlighted the importance of strengthening the quality of justice as part of the objectives, starting with the improvement of curricula and judicial training for magistrates, up to enhancing their performance in courts. Kotro concluded his speech by emphasizing the importance of the goal of a justice system that is closer to citizens, aiming for a more transparent system oriented towards their needs.

After the panelists’ speeches concluded, the meeting continued with its most essential part: discussions and comments from civil society actors, representatives from academia, and the business sector. During the discussion, both expectations and positive results from the Strategy and the measures planned were highlighted, along with concrete recommendations and suggestions related to updating the legal framework and increasing trust in justice institutions, greater attention to specific vulnerable groups, increased measures for the effectiveness of the judiciary, enhanced cooperation and contribution from civil society, academia, and independent experts, as well as a more accurate and comprehensive monitoring with a well-defined methodology for implementing the Strategy and evaluating the indicators and results achieved.