Following the consensus approval of 31 out of 35 amendments presented by the opposition in the final recommendations of the Stabilization and Association Parliamentary Committee, Democratic Party MP Jorida Tabaku has reacted.
Tabaku, also vice-chair of the Stabilization and Association Committee, described the MEPs' vote as a confirmation of concerns long raised by the opposition about the state of democracy, the rule of law, the economy and the functioning of institutions in Albania.
According to her, the approved amendments show that the European integration process has been used by the government as a cover for the adoption of laws that favor a privileged minority, instead of serving to build European standards and democratize the country.
"Integration has been treated as a notary of the oppression of the government, not as an instrument for the democratization of the country," writes Tabaku.
The DP MP underlines that the recommendations highlight the merging of the party with the state, the political use of the administration and institutions, the misuse of citizens' data, and the transformation of public administration into an electoral machine in the service of power.
Another important issue included in the opposition amendments relates to protecting the independence of SPAK and prohibiting any political interference in justice.
Tabaku emphasizes that SPAK has been consistently targeted whenever investigations have affected people connected to power, while institutions have been used to politically protect those being investigated and to obstruct the course of justice.
In her response, she also addresses the issue of property, stating that SPAK's latest files on organized crime have shown that public and private property has been treated as loot to be distributed to government clients and criminal groups.
Meanwhile, according to her, the legal owners continue to linger at the doors of the administration, without receiving either the property or the justice they deserve.
Tabaku states that even public procurement has become a reward mechanism for people and companies that serve the power system, harming competition and the market economy.
One of the main points of the approved amendments is the request to repeal the law on strategic investments.
Tabaku recalls that the Democratic Party has been demanding the repeal of this law for more than three years and that the opposition has once again submitted a concrete legal initiative to the Parliament.
"This law did not bring development. It created privileges, concentrated public and private wealth in the hands of a few, and turned the state into an intermediary for clientelistic interests," says the Democratic MP.
According to Tabaku, the voting of 31 amendments by MEPs constitutes a direct message to the Albanian government that the European Union does not accept reforms only on paper nor an integration process built on propaganda.
"Europe requires the rule of law, competition, protected property, independent justice, and institutions that serve citizens," she emphasizes.
In conclusion, Tabaku states that Albania does not need a system that works for a privileged minority, but for a state that protects the interests of the majority of citizens.
