Speaking at a joint news conference with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Rama was asked whether he bore political responsibility for appointments made by his government, including that of former State Intelligence Service (SHISH) chief Vlora Hyseni.

“I do not claim to change your understanding of political responsibility. For me, political responsibility is one thing: ensuring that the justice reform does not stop, and that the fight against corruption, organised crime and all actions that violate the law continues to develop as a mission of the system,” Rama said.

He said the ruling majority had undertaken the transformative effort that led to Albania’s justice reform.

Rama rejected the idea that political responsibility should automatically extend to every subsequent action by an appointed official.

He said officials who betrayed a common purpose should face the consequences through the independent justice system.

Rama also cited France, saying a French justice minister had faced allegations of paedophilia but remained in office and that the French president had not assumed political responsibility.

“In the end, the process found the minister innocent and he remains in office. These are approaches that each country follows according to its own system. No one is protected when it comes to facing the consequences of an action that falls within the sphere of an independent investigation or judicial process,” Rama said.

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“SPAK is one of the best things that has happened to Albania in the past 35 years. I have no doubt about that,” Rama said.

He said the justice reform had not eliminated corruption but had stripped it of its “immunity from justice.”

“SPAK is a new institution. It will make its own mistakes and have its own shortcomings, but this is the only way forward. The institution will grow, become stronger and gain experience,” Rama said.

The government head also said he had had no prior communication with SPAK over investigations into senior officials and considered the prosecution office independent of the government.

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Speaking at a conference marking the completion of the transitional re-evaluation process for judges and prosecutors, Braho said the vetting process had played a key role in transforming Albania’s justice system and strengthening public confidence in judicial institutions.

According to Braho, the screening process helped renew the judiciary and introduced new standards of accountability and integrity.

“Public trust in the justice system cannot be achieved without individual accountability,” Braho said. “The standards established through vetting are reflected in the daily work of judges and prosecutors, who have undergone rigorous scrutiny designed to safeguard public confidence.”

He thanked all institutions and stakeholders involved in the process, describing the vetting exercise as a historic milestone for Albania’s justice system.

Addressing the impact of the reform on SPAK, Braho said the process had been instrumental in the creation and consolidation of the country’s new justice institutions.

“For SPAK, vetting has played a particularly important role,” he said. “Today, the justice system represents the public interest with professionalism and impartiality. The institutions established through the justice reform have reached the level of maturity required to fulfil their mandate. Our challenge now is to preserve the standards that have been achieved.”

The conference focused on the results of the vetting process to date and the challenges involved in safeguarding the standards introduced through Albania’s landmark justice reform.

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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.

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The remarks were made during a joint press statement between Justice Minister Toni Gogu and his French counterpart Gérald Darmanin, who is on an official visit to Tirana on Thursday.

Gogu described the visit as an important moment to showcase Albania’s progress over a decade of justice reform, highlighting the separation of the judiciary from political influence and the strengthening of institutional independence.

“It is the work of an entire society to restructure justice and bring it up to European standards,” he said.

He noted that cooperation between the two countries includes concrete areas such as reform of the Criminal Code and Criminal Procedure Code, as well as strengthening training within the magistrates’ system.

A key element of this cooperation is the partnership between Albania’s School of Magistrates and its French counterpart, which was renewed during the visit.

Darmanin praised Albania’s “highly ambitious and impressive” justice reforms, stressing that the rule of law is central to the country’s European Union integration path.

“We are very pleased to support you through our experts, magistrates and professors in the revision of criminal legislation,” he said, adding that France would remain an active partner in the process.

Both sides also emphasised cooperation in the fight against organised crime, particularly in asset seizure and confiscation, where Albania’s practices were described by Darmanin as potentially exemplary for France.

The discussions further included strengthening cooperation in the penitentiary system and enhancing the exchange of information and intelligence.

Darmanin’s visit comes ahead of the World Law Congress, which will be held in Tirana in 2027, placing Albania at the centre of international legal and rule-of-law discussions.

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Speaking at the opening session of the World Law Congress, due to be held in Tirana next year, Rama described the overhaul of the country’s justice system as a success story, but said continued support remained crucial a decade after the process began.

“This governing majority will continue to stand behind the justice institutions and will not waver from the legitimate public demand to implement the reform in every detail,” Rama said.

He acknowledged widespread public scepticism toward the justice system, saying many Albanians had lost faith in the principle of equality before the law after years of political interference and weak institutions.

“No one can blame those who remain sceptical, because for years justice proved to them that it was an illusion,” he said.

Rama said ‘the reform has fundamentally altered the balance of power in the country by creating institutions independent of political control.”

“We did what no one had imagined possible – relinquishing part of political power in order to establish an authority independent from politics,” he said.

He argued that the reform’s success depends on unwavering support from political forces capable of shaping its course, describing institution-building as one of the most significant challenges in Albania’s modern history.

“If you stand too close to a large fresco, you cannot see the whole picture, and from up close many things may appear flawed,” Rama said. “Building institutions is entirely different from the political instinct to concentrate power and control decision-making. It is not people who corrupt systems; it is weak systems that corrupt people.”

Rama said transforming the justice system is a long-term process that could not be completed within a decade or two, and would require consistent support over time.

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Speaking at the opening session of the World Law Congress in Tirana, the government head stated the EU remained the primary source of expertise for building independent and functional institutions.

“The EU is the only source from which to learn how institutions are built, and this process of knowledge transfer is a blessing for Albania,” the Prime Minister said.

He stressed that justice reform was an irreversible process and that the government remained committed to moving it forward without any backtracking.

“We are determined to ensure there is no turning back in this process and to guarantee the establishment of an independent justice system,” Rama said, adding that European Union support was a guarantee for the success of the reform and the strengthening of the rule of law in the country.

“The entire integration and negotiations process is a process of transferring knowledge from Brussels to Tirana, and it is a blessing, because no country builds institutions entirely on its own after paying the price of being a country without a state and institutions,” he said.

“I am confident this process will not be reversed. We are committed to making it irreversible, and this is a very important guarantee for Albania and Albanians,” Rama added.

“If the EU were not there and Albanians did not aspire to join it, we would never succeed in building an independent justice system – or we would achieve only what Iraq and Afghanistan achieved after Western and NATO efforts to bring democracy to those countries. The difference is that we have the EU and they do not,” Rama said.

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Speaking at the presentation of the new head of the National Agency for Information Society (AKSHI), Igli Tafa, Rama said Albania was living through a historic phase marked by two parallel revolutions – digital transformation and judicial reform.

“There is another revolution taking place, harsher and more painful, with more wounds and more brutality, but necessary – the transformation of the justice system from a living decay into a fair, equal and functional system,” Rama said. “We are still far from that goal, but the road is without return.”

Albania’s justice reform, launched in 2016 with European Union and U.S. backing, has led to the vetting of judges and prosecutors and the creation of new anti-corruption bodies, including the Special Anticorruption and Organized Crime Prosecution Structure (SPAK).

Rama acknowledged that the process has come at a human cost, saying investigations can deeply affect individuals’ lives.

He argued that in practice, the presumption of innocence was often overshadowed by a presumption of guilt, calling this a “dramatic element” of the transition period.

“If there is an investigation, in a just world everyone should be presumed innocent, whereas often everyone is presumed guilty and asked to prove otherwise,” Rama said.

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During the meeting, Ambassador Tarran reaffirmed the OSCE Presence’s strong support for Albania’s justice institutions.

OSCE Ambassador expressed condolences and reiterated the condemnation of the tragic murder of Judge Astrit Kalaja.

He stated that the OSCE Presence has been a long-standing partner in justice reform, offering technical expertise, legislative reviews and capacity-building for key institutions – including the Constitutional Court, High Judicial Council, High Prosecutorial Council, High Inspector of Justice, School of Magistrates, SPAK and Special Courts on Anti-Corruption and Organized Crime and courts across the country.

Through our EU-funded Trial Monitoring Project, we monitor high-level corruption and organized crime cases to help build a more effective and transparent justice system.

Topics of discussion included the backlog of cases in the judiciary and the high rate of pre-trial detention in Albania. Ambassador Tarran mentioned that the Presence is preparing a roundtable to promote non-custodial alternatives and more humane approaches to justice.

Looking ahead to 2026, we look forward to marking 10 years of justice reform in Albania – celebrating achievements and shaping future progress.

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“Justice reform has provided what was expected in terms of independence and accountability,” Gonzato told a justice reform forum in Tirana, adding that it has made a “very significant contribution” to Albania’s EU path.

The EU diplomat acknowledged reforms had yielded results but urged full implementation.

“We must preserve the positive steps made so far. The glass is half full, not half empty,” he said.

Gonzato stressed that institutional cooperation remains essential. He highlighted that the High Prosecutorial Council (KLP) must assess prosecutors based on structured performance indicators such as efficiency, ethics, and managerial ability.

The EU Ambassador also called for greater transparency in judicial appointments and performance evaluations, stronger conflict-of-interest safeguards, and improved public communication to bolster trust in the system.

The ambassador also addressed judicial transparency, urging regular reporting from justice institutions, including SPAK, to the Albanian Parliament. While acknowledging the prerogative of Parliament to determine engagement levels, he warned that accountability must not come at the expense of judicial independence.

“Parliamentary oversight must not undermine the autonomy of justice institutions. They are independent by law, and that independence must be preserved,” he stated.

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