The Influence Of The Justice Reform Of Albania Towards European Union Integration

Abstract

The main purpose of this paper is to make a deep and a comprehensive analysis of the justice reform in the Republic of Albania. It is the most important reform that Albania has carried out during the three decades of transition from dictatorship toward a liberal democracy. As a former communist state Albania has undergone numerous reforms towards democratic consolidation and European standard. Albania is the last country in the former communist states continuing so long-lasting transition to democracy. Since the first riots against the communist regime in 1990, there was a clear vision of Albania peoples to make Albania like Europe and to integrate it into the European Union. In democratization and Europeanisation process the justice system is the capillary structure, therefor it could not be built and function properly by partial improvement or fragmented reforms. Justice system in Albania needed more and more a general vision and comprehensive approaches, based on clear goal, principles, norms, legislation, structure of governance and bodies. Especially, Albania needed the new, functional, and efficient justice system based on the impartial judges and prosecutor’s bodies from political influence, with ethical integrity and high and professionalism. The reform was initiated since 2016 but the progress is still slow leading in a complicated justice situation in the Country and delaying serving justice to the citizens. Although the overall justice reform is one of the most

important and well designed it is still far away of being fully completed in terms legislation improvement, human resources, infrastructure investment, efficiency as well as the political, public opinion, media and civil societies support.

This paper will analyze the theoretical perspective of the reform, because it was a necessary foundation for the new justice system. After the theoretical framework the paper will deeply and comprehensively analyze the constitutional and legislative transformation, newly justice governing institutions established as well as the efficiency during the and implementation of the judicial reform. The principles and objectives of the reform are both, a prerequisite for democratic consolidation in Albania and the requirement of the EU membership. The paper will be approaching parallelly these two dimensions. The methodology of the paper is mix, qualitative and quantitative, mainly focused on text analysis of constitution, laws, official reports, and on the data published by the different institutions responsible on monitoring the implementation process of the justice reform in Albania. Through the qualitative and quantitative of above-mentioned texts and data the paper will analyze deeply and comprehensively the content of reform, the implementation, progress, difficulties, obstacles, perceptions, and the long-term contradictory efficiency so far.