The European Union has called on Albania to speed up the electoral reform process and implement the recommendations of the OSCE/ODIHR, stressing that progress toward EU membership requires concrete results and a greater institutional commitment.
During a meeting at the Central Election Commission, the EU Ambassador in Tirana, Sofia Moreira de Sousa, praised Albania’s progress on the European path, but underlined that the final phase of this process is more challenging and requires fulfilling obligations within a shorter timeframe.
The discussions focused on the need for a comprehensive electoral reform, based on political and institutional debate. To this end, five key issues requiring solutions were identified:
1-Preventing the use of state resources for electoral purposes.
2-Guaranteeing the neutrality of public administration during election campaigns.
3-Transparency and oversight of the financing of political parties and election campaigns.
4-Increasing the professionalism of the electoral administration.
5-Ensuring opportunities for all citizens who currently face obstacles in exercising this right to vote.
On the other hand, CEC representatives said that the recommendations of a technical nature have been addressed, while the implementation of changes that require political consensus remains the responsibility of the government and the Parliament. Electoral reform remains one of the important issues in Albania’s European integration process, while the implementation of international recommendations is seen as an essential step toward strengthening trust in democratic and electoral processes.