TIRANA, May 8/ATA/ Addressing the National Council for European Integration today regarding Chapter 23, Minister of Justice Toni Gogu reported that Albania’s justice reform has shifted from implementation to the sustainable embedding of European standards
Gogu stated that Albania has accelerated its EU negotiations by addressing 64 critical gaps and fulfilling 14 interim benchmarks (2025–Feb 2026), driven by comprehensive, inter-institutional cooperation.
Focusing on concrete results, the minister of justice announced significant progress: a 60% drop in Supreme Court backlog since 2020, expanded free legal aid and digitalization of the judiciary via JURONIX.
In 2025, the state-guaranteed legal aid system helped 5,863 citizens with primary support and provided secondary legal aid to another 924 people nationwide.
“Beyond negotiation chapters, Europe’s strength lies in the trust citizens place in their justice systems”, said Gogu.
He also emphasized that Albania is working on further harmonizing the Criminal Code, the Criminal Procedure Code and the legislation on fundamental rights with the acquis of the European Union, while the vetting process is entering its final phase within the constitutional mandate.
The National Council for European Integration meeting was held in context of Europe Day activities and Albania’s focus on advancing the negotiations for membership in the European Union. /gj.m/j.p/p.s./
