According to reports in the media, the European Commission, through a report on Albania that it prepared, decided to recommend the unconditional opening of accession talks for Albania.

The Albanian Helsinki Committee (AHC) lauds this decision, hoping that it will mark another step forward in the respect for human rights and freedoms.

This is a happy and encouraging piece of news for all Albanians. AHC deems it necessary to highlight the fact that the opening of accession talks represents also the dream of all Albanians, expressed in their longstanding demand “We want Albania like the rest of Europe.”

The Report appreciates particularly the measures and steps undertaken for the realization of reform in the justice system and the implementation of this reform in practice. AHC hopes that justice reform, in spite of some delays and difficulties that have accompanied the process of its implementation to date, will deal a strong blow to the concepts and consequences of impunity, particularly among elected and high-level officials, will take the hands of politics away from independent justice institutions, and will increase citizens’ trust in them.

AHC is also of the opinion that, for the government and all political forces, this important and historic decision should be a test of reflection for doing a balance sheet of what has been done and what needs to be done. AHC suggests that at the center of this analysis should be constructive criteria, respect for the principle of the checks and balances of powers, increased responsibilities, transparency and accountability by public bodies toward citizens, the avoidance of extreme inequality and the fight against discrimination, the avoidance of hate speech and the tense political environment. In particular, this analysis of reflection and the engagement of our institutions in the future should have respect for public interst and human rights and freedoms as its compass.