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Albanian Press Review!

Press Review, 18 November 2009

CORRUPTION

Albania deteriorates in Corruption Perception Index, reactions

The Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index (CPI) released yesterday has ranked Albania at the 95th place among 180 countries, ten positions down from last year’s index. Albania marks 3.2 points in the annual Corruption Perception Index for 2009, from 3.4 that was in 2008, with six sources of data with standard deviation 0.3 (minimum 2.8 and maximum 3.6). In Euro-Asia area, Albania ranks eighth among 20 countries, while in South Eastern Europe region, leaving behind Bosnia-Herzegovina. The local office of the Transparency International in Albania said in a press release, “The anti-corruption battle remains a challenge for the government, parliament, judiciary, law enforcement agencies, independent media and civil society on the path of European Union integration. Implementation of anti-corruption strategies by the government, reforming the judiciary and the way out of the apathy of legal impunity for corruption cases are serious challenges for policy and judicial power in the country. Financial transparency of political parties remains a serious problem particularly for the functioning of democracy in Albania.”

In an immediate reaction, Member of Parliament Saimir Tahiri said on behalf of the Socialist Party (SP) that the Index proved the continued concerns expressed by the media, public opinion, civil society and international partners on the dramatic spreading of corruption in Albania and the incompetence and lack of will by Sali Berisha’s government to fight it. “The Albania of Sali, Shkelzen, Argita, Fazlic, Delijorgji, Rrahman, Lulzim Basha, Sokol Olldashi, Fatmir Mediu, Fahri Balliu and of the Mafia gang who govern the Personal and Family Republic of Sali Berisha has degraded into a dangerous spiral of elite corruption because of those who wear family, ministerial and parliamentary immunity and are commanded and protected by Sali Berisha. Therefore, our country has been shamefully ranked in the last position of the European family, leaving behind only countries like Liberia, Senegal, Tongo and Zambia,” Tahiri said.


Democratic Party (DP) spokesperson Erla Mehilli said in a press conference that Tirana Mayor (and SP Chair) Edi Rama was to blame for the deterioration in the CPI. “We inform the Albanian citizens that the main cause of such a drop consists of: 1) the Rama-Delijorgji town with 51 apartment buildings; 2) the corruptive practice regarding the issuance of construction permits by the Tirana Municipality during 2008, when Rama with his Eftim and Shkreli got 70 per cent of them; 3) the lengthy and corrupt procedure for licenses in Tirana, which ranks Edi Rama 173rd at the global level with a record of 399 days needed to get a license,” she said. Mehilli added that the entry into force of the new Urban Planning Law would put an end to such corrupt practices and Albania would mark increasing success. “This way the last corruption castle in Albania – Tirana Municipality – will collapse,” she ended.


In Tirana, the Ambassadors of Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom and the Chargé d'Affaires of Sweden said in a press statement that they have taken note of the Corruption Perception Index 2009. “The survey is widely regarded as the most reliable index for measuring corruption internationally. The drop in Albania’s international standing is bad news. We hope the ranking will provide strong encouragement for Albania to urgently implement measures to reverse this trend and demonstrate concrete results in fighting corruption at all levels. This will be essential for both Albania’s further EU integration and to improve the business environment in order to attract much needed international investments,” they stated. The Ambassadors reiterated the readiness of their governments to further support Albania in this fight.


INTERNATIONAL/POLITICAL AFFAIRS


Barrot: Visa liberalization by 2010

Minister of Interior Lulzim Basha met yesterday in Brussels with European Commission’s Vice President Jacques Barrot, Responsible of Justice, Freedom and Security. Barrot said that considering Albania’s progress, he believed that visas would be lifted in 2010. “Dialogue continues and I hope next year we will move towards visa liberalization for Albanians. I was in Albania to hand out the first biometric passport, and now I see that Albania has made great efforts for visas to be lifted. The way so far indicates that visas will be lifted in 2010,” said Barrot. EC’s support to visa liberalisation for Albania by 2010 was included also in the final statement of the Ministerial Forum between the EU and Western Balkans. On 14 December, the EC will send its experts to Albania to assess the standards of biometric passports.

EC to decide on Albania’s application by next year, Bregu says

Minister of Integration Majlinda Bregu said Albania will probably be given the applicant status one year after the EC presents its questionnaire. She said she based this prediction on other countries’ experiences and on Albania’s preparation to answer the questionnaire. She considered EU’s acceptance of Albania’s membership application as the “most important day after NATO accession”. “I consider the approval of our application a political decision, which we knew without a doubt that it would be positive. But the EU could not express its opinion without first seeing the elections certified as meeting most of the standards,” said Bregu. According to her, the European Council would not have approved Albania’s application if the elections would have been below par. “The unanimous vote of the EU Foreign Ministers confirms there is no step back in Albania’s stride towards the EU,” she added. Speaking on the way ahead, Bregu said that the EC would need one month to prepare the questionnaire, and the Albanian public administration would start work to answer upon receiving it, i.e. December.


Berisha receives Zannier

Prime Minister Sali Berisha met yesterday with the United Nations Representative in Kosovo, Lamberto Zannier, to discuss the progress of the northern country’s government in the recent period. Berisha commended the great support given by the United Nations mission in Kosovo especially in the consolidation of democratic institutions, rule of law and human rights. On his part, Ambassador Zannier expressed his highest appreciation for the important role that the Albanian government has played in the issues related to Kosovo, and the role that Albania is playing in guaranteeing security and stability in the region. The two senior officials discussed also the positive achievements that Kosovo marked with the holding of the recent local elections, as well as the higher than expected turnout in these elections of the Serb minority.


Rama: There’s nothing to celebrate, we are last

Socialist Party (SP) Chair Edi Rama reacted yesterday in a press conference to the publication of Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index and Prime Minister Sali Berisha’s invitation “to celebrate together” the European Council’s decision to accept Albania’s membership application. “Albania’s fall below African nations in the corruption index, and the delays that were noticed until Brussels finally decided to ‘test’ Albania are no reason to celebrate,” said Rama. According to him, there are a number of serious problems that led Albania to rank in the corruption index ten places lower than last year. “Twice within 24 hours Sali Berisha provoked the opposition and mocked the Albanian people by inviting them to celebrate. Celebrate what? To celebrate the seven months of delay, an unprecedented case with any other country applying for candidate status?” he added. According to Rama, it is unacceptable that Serbia, a country that refuses to recognise Kosovo and has yet to hand over war criminals, would be granted visa liberalization, whilst Albania stood alongside Bosnia, a country with longstanding problems. “What have we to celebrate with Sali Berisha, at a day when he should apologize to the Albanian people because their country – according not to the opposition, nor to a people who can no longer stand this government, but according to a prestigious international organization – ranked below Rwanda, below Uganda, and still at the same pool as Bosnia, which carries a thousand problems upon its shoulders? Celebrate what? That Sali Berisha’s Albania is creeping up with former soviet republics, whose model he is trying to adopt?” he said. According to him, the EU’s acceptance of Albania’s application was good news on its own merit, but that it was delayed because of “Berisha’s bad governance”. He added that in the light of corruption facts emerging everyday – e.g. the cave-in in the Kalimash Tunnel and ARMO’s privatization – the opposition found no reason to rejoice. According to Rama, the SP did not seek to reverse the result of the 28 June elections, but simply sought the truth that rested within the ballot boxes. “The content of those boxes is neither a state secret, nor a file under investigation, but a subject to public scrutiny. We seek the opening of the boxes not for the sake of past elections, but for the sake of future ones. We will not leave Albania in Sali Berisha’s hands so that he can turn it into private property. We will stay in Albania to build Europe in our own home,” he said.

Berisha: Ready to co-operate with Rama


Reacting to the European Council’s decision to accept Albania’s membership application, Prime Minister Sali Berisha said that the government was ready to “satisfy any request of the EU in order to become part of it as soon as possible”. PM Berisha said that he was glad the SP Chair Edi Rama had welcomed the Council’s decision. “I offer all my availability for co-operation, but I have to say that there can be no two interpretations for the same fundamental thing,” said Berisha. He added that the EU was welcome to send the Albanian government the questionnaire for the candidate status. “The questionnaire contains thousands of questions that require radical reforms and well-prepared teams. But there is nothing more useful and noble than the commitment to this project,” he said.


Bushati: It’s up to the ruling majority to solve crisis


Socialist Party (SP) MP Ditmir Bushati defined the European Council’s decision to accept Albania’s membership application as the first step which would allow the EC to truly consider granting Albania the candidate status. Unfortunately, he said, Albania marked an unpleasant precedent because it took seven months for its application to be accepted. “The SP welcomes the decision, not only because it encouraged Albania’s application for EU candidate status, but it consistently showed it was willing to separate the politics of the day from the eminent interests of the country,” said Bushati. According to him, the delay of the decision was evidence that PM Berisha lacked two elements essential for European integration: speed and quality of reforms. “The fulfilment of obligations deriving from the process should not be seen as merely technical, but as a test of Albania’s political, economic, legal and institutional capacities,” he said. According to him, the ruling majority should now display responsibility by finding a way out of the political impasse. “Naturally it is difficult to see this process come to a successful fruition if the political crisis caused by the deformation of the 28 June elections is not solved.” He added that other challenges included corruption – as reported in Transparency International’s Index – property disputes, administrative capacities, organized crime and trafficking.


Merino: Integration depends on government reforms


Spain’s Deputy Chief of Mission in Tirana, Juan Merino, said yesterday that in order for Albania to become an EU member it should function as a state that is based on the rule of law and respects media freedom. “Becoming an EU member means that first you should observe the rule of law, and one of the key elements of democracy is respect for the freedom of the media. It is the responsibility of the Albanian Government and Prosecutor’s Office to asses the situation seriously. We condemn any attack on the media,” Merino reportedly said, referring to the alleged assault on journalist Mero Baze by oil businessman Rezart Taci. Speaking on Albania’s process of EU integration, Merino said, “We hope that Albania will soon become a member of the EU. Spain is working hard in this respect with the Albanian administration, but the eventual decision for Albania’s accession into the EU will depend on the reforms that will be undertaken by the Government.” He called on the government and the opposition to find a solution to the political deadlock in order to advance reforms towards visa liberalisation. “Visa liberalization is closely related to reforms with regard to border control, document security, etc.,” Merino is quoted as saying. On 1 January 2010 Spain will take over the Presidency of the EU for the first semester.


Meta, Topalli invite opposition to take their seats in Assembly


In greeting the decision of the European Union to grant Albania’s its request for candidate status to the EU, Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Ilir Meta and the Speaker of the Assembly Jozefina Topalli both appealed to the Opposition to take up their seats in the Assembly. Meta underlined the fact that most certainly the Opposition had the right to protest, but he said that at the current moment the Opposition should be focusing on its contribution to the EU integration process. Meta added, “This is a process which commenced years ago in our country, a process to which different ruling majorities and oppositions have diligently adhered to, respecting rotation according to the choice of the Albanian people; this is a process that will move forward, and which undoubtedly invites all of us to be more responsible and reasonable and more European.” Meta stressed that the Opposition could not respond with violence to the appeals of the Ruling Majority and the Internationals; he said that the question of the last elections is now a closed chapter since the publication of the OSCE/ODIHR Report. He said what remains open is the chapter of the further improvement of electoral standards, and the government remains equally as committed for the Opposition to be fully involved in this process, and even lead the future electoral reform, so that the next elections reach even higher democratic, European standards. Speaker Topalli also appealed to the Opposition to return to what she saw as the only place where any political compromise could be reached. Topalli insisted that the Opposition must be in the Assembly so that it does not miss out on the historical opportunity to contribute and be an integral part of this victory. Topalli stated that the socialist MPs will find all the dimensions they need. She said every single MP has a contract and a duty to their constituents which no one could shirk.


RULE OF LAW

Court remands Taci in custody

In yesterday’s hearing the Tirana First Instance Court confirmed its ruling to remand Rezart Taci in custody pending trial. Taci’s defence lawyers asked the Court to revoke its previous security measure on their client, and offered a 50,000-euro bail for Taci to be tried on his own cognizance, but Judge Fahrije Budo refused the offer. The lawyers said they would challenge the ruling with the Appellate Court. The hearing in the Appellate Court is scheduled for 19 November.

Meta: Any corrupt official must be brought to justice

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ilir Meta guaranteed yesterday that the legal institutions will have all the needed support to fight corruption without any compromise and with disregard of political affiliation. According to Meta, no one is immune from the law, as the law is the same for every one. Meta said that the Socialist Movement for Integration (SMI) was committed to the fight against corruption and organized crime, and argued that the will of the Democratic Party (DP) is the same in this regard. He called on the opposition to join the legal initiative for lifting the MPs immunity and make changes to the Constitution accordingly.

Miklau: There is political interference in the justice system

The Head of the European Assistance Mission to the Albanian Justice System (EURALIUS), Roland Miklau, harshly criticized the Government on the pressures it is exerting on the judicial system. In an interview for Deutche Welle, the Austrian legal expert said that the mission had been noticing that the government official statements had impacted the decisions taken by several judges in the country. “There are several reasons why the judges in Albania are not secure, such as selective inspections, arbitrary and unfair behavior within the system,” he said. EURALIUS has been giving its support to the judicial reform in Albania and has been drafting a series of important laws in this regard. However, the Albanian government has not followed the EU experts’ advice. Miklau said that in Albania there are several groups that make things difficult by influencing politics, and that the judicial system was not free of political interference.



Note:
This Press Review includes news and reports from the following newspapers: "Gazeta Shqiptare", "Shekulli", "Tema", "Korrieri", "Albania", "Koha Jone", "RD", "ZP", "Panorama", "Shqip", "Metropol", "Standard", "Tirana Observer", "Republika", "Telegraf", "Sot".

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