27/07/2016
Tirana - In the evening of 21 July the Albanian Assembly approved the constitutional amendments related to the justice reform, with a unanimous vote. The current constitutional amendments provide for the re-organisation of the High Judicial Council, the Constitutional Court and several other supreme State institutions related to the judiciary, as well as for the creation of a temporary vetting mechanism supposed to remove corrupt and incompetent judges from the judiciary.
These amendments were the result of a long and laborious process, to which the Venice Commission contributed by preparing two opinions (CDL-AD(2015)045 and CDL-AD(2016)009) and participating in the development of the concept of the reform. The pivotal role of the Venice Commission was repeatedly acknowledged by all major political players in the country, including Mr Lulzim Basha, the Chairman Democratic Party of Albania.
This reform is a great success for all political forces of Albania who advanced through negotiations and compromises and showed their sense of responsibility.