The European Union Delegation to Albania has reacted after the Parliament rejected SPAK's request to lift the immunity of Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku.

Asked by News24 and BalkanWebThe EU Delegation stresses the importance of ensuring the conditions for the Special Prosecution to effectively carry out its task, directly linking this to Albania's progress on the path towards membership in the European Union.

"The European Union is aware of the outcome of today's vote in the Albanian Parliament. Commitment to the rule of law and the fight against corruption are of essential importance for the EU accession process. Ensuring an appropriate environment for SPAK to effectively carry out its work is essential to credibly support Albania's progress towards membership in the European Union," the response states.

The EU Delegation underlines that creating an enabling environment for the functioning of justice institutions is a key element for advancing reforms.

The majority rejects SPAK's request.
The majority has rejected SPAK's request to lift the immunity and grant authorization for the arrest of former Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku.

The decision was made during this Thursday's plenary session, where the majority deputies voted against the request of the special prosecutors, while the opposition opposed this position, describing it as an obstacle to justice on the part of the majority. 82 votes of the majority were against the request, while 47 from the opposition went in support of the Special Prosecution.

SPAK requested the lifting of parliamentary immunity and authorization of Balluk's arrest, in order to continue investigative procedures without compromising the destruction of evidence and the intimidation of witnesses.

The decision has sparked widespread reactions both within politics and internationally. The EU delegation, the German, British and Dutch embassies continue to insist that corruption must be fought and that parliamentary immunity should not become an obstacle.

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• VIDEO/ Opposition protest in front of the Parliament, citizens throw spray at police officers