TIRANA, March 30 /ATA/ The DP chairman, Sali Berisha, announced today from the party’s headquarters that Albania’s progress in closing EU accession negotiation chapters has come to a standstill due to the “Balluku” case.
In a press conference, Berisha emphasized that the Parliament’s refusal to lift the immunity of former Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku, following a request from the Special Prosecution Against Corruption and Organized Crime (SPAK), has impeded the country’s EU integration process.
Berisha accused Prime Minister Edi Rama of prioritizing his own interests over those of Albanian citizens, saying Rama “is willing to take any decision to protect himself at all costs.”
Berisha highlighted that last October, the European Commission flagged key concerns for Albania, including mounting political pressure on the judiciary, weak anti-corruption efforts, and significant media freedom issues. He added that these problems have not only remained unresolved but have worsened, noting that, for the first time, the Albanian Parliament turned down a prosecution request to arrest a deputy prime minister.
The leader of the Democratic Party stated that Prime Minister Edi Rama’s claim that such a decision would be taken by any democratic parliament is baseless.
“By the standards of the rule of law, this is a decision with serious consequences for the fight against corruption,” he said.
Berisha added that this development has also impacted the European Union’s assessment process.
He stated that “this decision forced several EU member states to block the most important progress report, the IBAR report, which assesses developments in the rule of law, the judiciary, and the fight against corruption, in Chapters 23 and 24.”
According to Berisha, without unanimous approval of the IBAR report by member states, Albania cannot advance in closing these chapters.
“Rama can hold countless meetings, but no chapter will be closed without unanimous approval of the IBAR report. Anything else is fiction, domestic deception or, when it comes from abroad, corrupt lobbying by Rama. Albania is at a standstill. Without unanimous consent, there can be no progress in the integration process,” Berisha stated.
Berisha also weighed in on the notion of a partial EU membership, stressing that such a concept is not recognized under the European Union’s legal framework.
“There are no first- or second-tier members in the EU. All countries hold equal decision-making power, and any changes require unanimous consent,” he underscored.
According to Berisha, any effort to implement such a model is entirely unacceptable and legally unfounded.
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