TIRANA, August 1/ATA/ The European Union said today that it does not yet have a stance on the draft of the new Criminal Code.
The EU Delegation in Tirana responded to a local media question on the matter, stating that it did not participate in the drafting. The EU Delegation explained that it “has received notification of the presentation of the draft of the Criminal Code, the result of the work of a group of experts commissioned by the government”.
“Given that the general review of the Criminal Code is an important and complex process, with a potential long-term impact on society and the justice system, the EU highlights the significance of ensuring an all-embracing and full consultation with all key justice institutions and rule of law stakeholders, as well as civil society, in order to guarantee the highest quality of the legislation to be adopted”, stated the EU Delegation in Tirana.
The EU assesses that as part of the negotiations for accession to the European Union, Albania is expected to amend a number of specific provisions of the Criminal Code to align it with European standards and EU legislation.
“In the short term, the EU encourages Albania to give priority to those legislative amendments that are necessary to meet the intermediate standards set out in the EU Common Position on Cluster 1 (Fundamentals). The EU stands ready to provide technical assistance in this regard”, concluded the EU response. /m.m//r.e//a.f/p.s./
