Albania is celebrating seven years of judicial reforms, but the work is far from over. U.S. envoy Nancy Van Horn joined officials in Tirana to mark the milestone and urged the country to keep fighting corruption.
Van Horn commended Albania’s progress in overhauling its judiciary, which has seen judges and prosecutors removed as part of a vetting process aimed at cleaning up the system. “You should be proud of what has been achieved,” she said. “But there’s still more to do. SPAK must continue investigating the most sensitive corruption cases.”
This week, the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SPAK) took on new duties, assuming responsibility for cases previously handled by the Independent Qualification Commission (KPK) and the Public Commissioner’s Office (IKP), which are concluding their work.
SPAK head Altin Dumani echoed Van Horn’s message, saying the reforms had strengthened Albania’s democracy and moved the country closer to EU membership. “Impunity is being fought, but more challenges remain,” Dumani said. “We’re building a justice system Albanians can trust.”
While progress has been made, both Van Horn and Dumani acknowledged that there is still resistance to reform, urging officials to stay independent and focused.
The road to the EU
For Albania, judicial reform is crucial to its EU ambitions. The country’s progress in vetting judges and prosecutors is seen as a key factor in meeting the EU’s standards on rule of law and governance.
Despite significant strides, officials stressed the importance of continuing the work to ensure lasting change and tackle corruption head-on.
