Representatives of the OSCE have joined the US and EU in Albania in calling for Parliament to extend the mandate of vetting institutions during Thursday’s parliamentary vote.
On Tuesday evening, the US and EU embassies released a joint statement declaring their unequivocal support for extending the mandates of the two commissions tasked with vetting all judges and prosecutors and whose mandates expire in June.
“The proposed vetting extension is strongly supported by Albania’s friends who wish to see Albania in the EU as soon as possible,” the statement reads.
The Albanian Parliament will vote on February 10 on whether to amend its Constitution to extend the mandate of its judicial vetting bodies. The vote hangs in the balance as constitutional amendments require a two-thirds majority. At this point, it is unclear whether the opposition, consisting mainly of the Democratic Party (PD), will vote in favor.
According to the EU and US, however, “[this] is not a partisan issue” and they hope “that all Members of Parliament – regardless of party affiliation – will see this as a matter of national interest and vote accordingly.”
“A vote for the vetting extension is vote for the future of Albania in the EU,” the statement concludes.
On Wednesday, the OSCE ambassador to Albania Vincenzo Del Monaco also voiced his support for the proposal, saying that the ongoing justice reform has achieved great results.
