Bardhi raises the alarm in the EP: Integration does not progress with an Assembly that seals Rama's decisions

The head of the Democratic Party Parliamentary Group, Gazment Bardhi, has raised numerous concerns regarding the functioning of the Albanian Parliament during the joint EU-Albania meeting at the European Parliament.

According to him, Parliament has transformed into an institution that only seals government decisions, no longer exercising control over the executive and hindering the role of the opposition.

Bardhi said that this situation harms democratic standards and makes the country's European integration process more difficult.

Full speech:

Dear colleagues,

Like most of you in this room, I believe that the way a Parliament functions not only determines the quality of the European integration process. It determines the quality of democracy itself.

Unfortunately, in Albania this relationship has been steadily deteriorating. The parliament is increasingly moving away from its constitutional function as an institution of control and oversight, to be reduced to a notary of government decisions.

Just a few days ago, the Albanian Parliament provided the clearest demonstration of this institutional deterioration, a development that does not comply with European standards of the functioning of democratic institutions.

By force of will, the parliamentary majority rejected the debate requested by the opposition on the European Parliament Resolution on Albania, which also raises serious concerns about the functioning of the rule of law and democratic institutions.

Today, the Albanian Parliament does not lead the European integration process, because it no longer exercises the constitutional functions for which it was elected:

does not take legislative initiatives,

does not ensure government accountability

and does not exercise effective control and supervision.

But the problem is even deeper. The parliamentary majority has not only stripped Parliament of these functions, but also denies the opposition the right to exercise them.

First, the Parliament does not consider the opposition's initiatives. After the last European Parliament Resolution on Albania, the opposition decided to turn some of its recommendations into concrete legal initiatives. None of them are included in the review.

Secondly, Parliament does not control the government. The most direct instrument of accountability is the interpellation with the Prime Minister.

During this parliamentary session, the opposition has requested 11 interpellations with the Prime Minister. None have been held, because the Prime Minister refuses to account for the acts that bear his signature. Zero in 11 requested interpellations.

Without parliamentary accountability, there can be neither a rule of law, nor democratic institutions that function according to European standards, nor integration into the European Union.

But parliamentary control is not the only constitutional function that has been weakened. The same has happened with the oversight function of Parliament, especially in the process of European integration.

The Committee on European Integration merged with the Committee on Foreign Policy and leadership returned to the majority.

Thus, the only institutional mechanism that guaranteed independent parliamentary oversight of the negotiation process and the involvement of the opposition disappeared.

The same logic has been followed for other control instruments.

Five opposition requests for parliamentary investigative committees have all been rejected.

Instead of playing a role in accelerating the integration process, Parliament is becoming an obstacle through its actions. Let me bring to your attention the Parliament's decision not to lift the immunity of Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku, accused by SPAK of bid-rigging, corruption and money laundering. Political protection of corruption by high-ranking officials does not help integration, but rather makes it more difficult.

Dear colleagues,

The European integration process is not measured only by the laws that are adopted or the chapters that are opened, discussed, and closed.

It is also measured by how democratic institutions function.

A Parliament that does not take initiatives, does not control the government, and does not exercise oversight is not performing the function for which it was elected.

We can give this institution many names: executive secretariat, protocol office, or government notary.

But we cannot call it a Parliament in the European sense of the word.

At the beginning of my speech, I expressed my belief that the way a Parliament functions determines the quality of democracy. Precisely for this reason, Albania does not just need more open chapters. It needs a Parliament that fully exercises its constitutional functions. That has a role in the integration process. Because only then will the integration process be not only faster, but also more credible.

Thank you.