TIRANA, May 19 /ATA/ – Justice Minister Toni Gogu said on Tuesday that Albania’s justice system has entered a new “performance phase”, where citizens expect not only independent justice bodies, but concrete results in their daily lives.
Speaking at a press conference, Gogu outlined the Justice Ministry’s main priorities at what he described as a key stage in both Albania’s European integration process and the ongoing justice reform.
“After a decade of institutional building, justice must now be felt by citizens – through timely and reasoned court decisions, access to legal aid, enforcement of contracts and a state that functions equally for all,” Gogu said.
He identified three strategic priorities for his term in office: strengthening human rights and procedural guarantees, improving access to justice and increasing the efficiency of the justice system.
Gogu also highlighted Albania’s progress under Chapter 23 of the EU accession process, saying the ministry had coordinated more than 70 institutions and 190 experts, submitting over 8,000 pages of documentation to the European Commission.
On the judicial backlog, he said the system was now on a downward trajectory for the first time, noting that the Supreme Court had reduced its case backlog by 60% compared with 2020.
Among the Ministry’s legislative priorities, Gogu cited revisions to the Criminal Procedure Code, modernisation of the Criminal Code, expansion of the Free Legal Aid scheme and the digitalisation of notary and bailiff services.
/m.q/j.p/u.sh/
