MEP David Lega has warned the Albanian government once again against the approval for a second time in Parliament of two media laws that are widely considered to infringe media freedom.
One day ahead of the plenary session where the Socialist majority is expected to pass the laws after President Meta vetoed them, MEP David Lega reminded Prime Minister Edi Rama that the opening of Albania’s EU accession talks might be at stake if the laws are passed.
“Reiterating my position on the risk of new Albanian media laws in light of possible membership negotiations with the EU. If the Rama administration approves the media legislation in plenary in its current form it will seriously endanger the chances for opening of EU membership negotiations. They need to comply with the recommendations issued by the European Commission and the Council of Europe,” Lega tweeted.
This is his third harsh warning on the issue, after two previous ones (here and here) before the Socialist majority passed the laws.
The Albanian Constitution prescribes that laws approved in parliament have to be also approved by the president. If the latter vetoes a law, it has to pass a second vote in parliament, after which the president’s approval is not needed for it to enter into force.
Whilst the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly has asked the Venice Commission to give an opinion on the laws, Prime Minister Edi Rama wants his majority to pass the laws tomorrow.
