Democratic Party MP and Vice-Chair of the Stabilization and Association Special Committee, Jorida Tabaku, is in Strasbourg today, where the European Parliament is discussing the progress report on Albania.
Together with the head of the DP Parliamentary Group, Gazment Bardhi, and the Deputy Speaker of the Assembly, Agron Gjekmarkaj, Tabaku is holding meetings with MEPs and representatives of political groups in the European Parliament.
In a video message from Strasbourg, Tabaku emphasized that the issues that citizens have been protesting for days in Tirana have been transmitted to MEPs, even though many of them are not new topics for European institutions, but concerns that have been repeated over the years in the reports of the European Parliament and the European Union on Albania.
She argued that laws such as the Strategic Investment Law, changes to the Law on Protected Areas, corruption, the fight against organized crime, and the lack of opportunities for young people are part of the problems that the European Union has consistently highlighted for the country.
According to Tabaku, Albania should follow the European model of the rule of law, transparency, and strong institutions, and not the path of an electoral autocracy or a captured state that adopts laws on demand and in the interests of a minority.
She underlined that the citizens' protest represents opposition to this model of governance and to a system that, according to her, has functioned to the detriment of the majority of Albanians.
"The issues for which protesters have filled the streets of Tirana are the same issues that have been in the reports of the European Parliament for years. The Strategic Investment Law, the Protected Areas Law, corruption, the fight against organized crime and the lack of opportunities for young people are simultaneously issues of Albania and Europe. The voice of the protesting citizens is being brought to the European Parliament today and will be part of the parliamentary debate on Albania," said Tabaku.
The Democratic MP emphasized that the purpose of the meetings in Strasbourg is for the concerns of Albanian citizens and the issues related to the rule of law, democracy and transparency to be part of European discussions on the future of Albania and the process of integration into the European Union.
Tabak's word
We are today in the European Parliament, where the report on Albania is being discussed and where we are holding a series of meetings with representatives not only of the European People's Party Group (EPP), but also with representatives of other political groups.
One of the main issues we are discussing is the fact that Albania is facing today an electoral autocracy and a state that continues to adopt bespoke laws, in the service of narrow interests and not those of the citizens.
The issues that have been filling the streets of Tirana for days are topics that have been in the European Parliament and European Union reports on Albania for years. The Strategic Investment Law, the changes to the Law on Protected Areas, corruption, the fight against organized crime, and the lack of opportunities for young Albanians to build their lives in the country are all issues that do not only concern Albania, but are also European concerns.
All of these topics are reflected in the European Parliament's report and have been part of our ongoing discussions, with the aim of making Albania's voice heard here in Strasbourg.
Today we are bringing to the European Parliament the voice of citizens protesting in the streets of Tirana against an unjust system, lacking transparency and accountability. These concerns should be part of the European parliamentary debate on Albania, because they are directly related to democracy, the rule of law and the country's European future.
