Albania risks EU integration, Brussels signals blocking of key accession report

The failure of the Albanian Parliament to lift the immunity of former Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku jeopardizes Tirana's official path towards the European Union, several diplomats in Brussels have said. According to them, member states expect politics not to hinder the rule of law and that, for this reason, they will not be ready to approve the "IBAR" report, which allows the start of the closing of Albania's membership chapters in the European bloc.

Albania is jeopardizing progress on the path towards European Union (EU) integration due to the failure in the Assembly to lift the immunity of former Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku, who is now an MP.

Some EU member states' diplomats in Brussels have said that member states will not be ready to approve the IBAR report on Albania, which is necessary for this country, after opening all chapters, to also start closing them. Some of the European diplomats, who spoke to KOĞAN on condition of anonymity, have said that there are member states that "carefully" want to see evidence that politics in Albania does not hinder the rule of law and that Albania will continue with the same momentum with reforms and fulfillment of the criteria for EU membership.

This reaction in Brussels came after the Albanian Parliament voted on Thursday against lifting the immunity of former Deputy Prime Minister Balluku, after prosecutors requested authorization to arrest her on suspicion of corruption. Deputies from Prime Minister Edi Rama's ruling party blocked the lifting of Balluku's immunity with 82 votes, prompting a protest by opposition MPs inside the Parliament. A simple majority of 71 votes was needed to lift the immunity of Balluku, who was dismissed by Rama days ago.

This move has not gone unnoticed in Brussels.

"Ensuring a conducive environment for SPAK to effectively carry out its work is essential to credibly support Albania's progress towards EU membership," the European Commission (EC) press office said in a statement.

European diplomats have also said that immunity in Parliament should not be an obstacle to implementing the rule of law and fighting corruption in Albania or any other candidate country for EU membership.

The Parliament's decision was supported by Prime Minister Rama, who wrote in a post on the X platform that his governing majority has done "without any discussion, what any democratic parliament in Europe would do, where passing the prosecution's requests not for the arrest without trial of an MP like today's request, but for whether or not to start investigations, is nowhere like passing without any kind of border control in the Schengen area."

After the vote, the German Embassy in Tirana said that Germany supports the process of Albania's integration into the EU in accordance with the wishes of the Albanians, but added that "a necessary condition for progress in this merit-based process is the effective prosecution of corruption, even in high-ranking cases."

"Our clear expectation is that even in these cases, criminal prosecution through justice can be carried out quickly and without obstacles. Albanian politics is still being asked to guarantee this process ," the statement says.

The Special Prosecution Office Against Corruption and Organized Crime (SPAK) had asked the Parliament to lift Balluku's immunity on December 16 last year. SPAK has filed an indictment against Balluku for "violation of equality with tenders" in the case related to the procurement procedure for the construction of the Llogora tunnel. At the time, she held the positions of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Energy. Balluku is also under investigation for seven other procurement procedures related to several infrastructure projects in Tirana.

On February 26, Prime Minister Rama dismissed Balluk from all government positions. But the ruling Socialist Party is against Balluk's arrest, arguing that she cannot tamper with evidence or escape, cannot repeat the crime, and that the path for SPAK to investigate her is open. And the opposition Democratic Party (DP) maintains that immunity should not become a shield or obstacle to justice.

For this reason, while a session was taking place inside the Assembly hall, protesters called by the opposition gathered outside, demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Rama. Numerous police forces were lined up in front of the Assembly courtyard to monitor the situation.

Since SPAK filed an indictment against Balluk, the opposition in Albania has held several protests, in which there have been tensions, violence, and injuries, both on the part of the protesters and the police.

Albania has opened all chapters for EU membership and aims to become part of the bloc before 2030./ Koha.net