The European People’s Party (EPP) group in the European Parliament has called on the Democratic Party (PD) to continue talks on electoral reform with the Socialist majority, despite the controversial demotion of the National Theater.
They have reminded the Albanian government that the European Commission and EU Member States are closely monitoring the respect for rule of law in Albania and the fulfilment of the 15 conditions before the eventual start of EU accession talks.
Andrey Kovatchev, Vice-Chair of the EPP Group in the European Parliament tweeted:
Respect for the Rule of Law and further work on the 15 req-s to be closely monitored by @EU_Commission and Member States. @pdshqiperi has to be fully engaged in talks on the electoral reform. 2/2
— Andrey Kovatchev (@andreykovatchev) May 19, 2020
On Tuesday, two days after the demolition of the National Theater, PD leader Lulzim Basha hinted that the opposition may quit talks on electoral reform due to lack of rule of law in the country.
U.S. Ambassador Yuri Kim met with Prime Minister Edi Rama on the same day, and announced they had agreed that electoral reform must go on.
The approval of the reform is one of the key conditions for Albania’s progress in EU accession talks.
