The rapporteur for Albania in the European Parliament, Isabel Santos, has drawn up a project RESOLUTION for Albania, where the situation of human rights, freedom of the media and the initiatives of the Albanian government for initiatives such as fiscal amnesty or "golden passports" are criticized.
"We express concern about aspects of the draft law on fiscal amnesty and the proposed citizenship by investment scheme that are incompatible with EU norms and its visa policy", the resolution states.
Santos also expresses reservations in the report regarding basic human freedoms and progress in this direction, as well as the lack of transparency and competition in public procurement.
Through the draft resolution, the European Parliament urges the Albanian government to work harder towards meeting the membership criteria by 2030.
Freedom of expression and the media
The draft resolution raises concerns about the lack of progress in terms of institutional transparency, freedom of expression and media, and also emphasizes the role of political leaders in creating an environment for these freedoms.
"The European Parliament condemns attempts to discriminate against reporters and arbitrarily withhold information from the public as well as the failure to ensure the safety of journalists,” the resolution says regarding the freedom of the media.
So the authorities are asked to take measures against political and economic influence in the media and against the intimidation of journalists.
Albania has remained behind in the last two years in terms of progress in the field of media freedom.
Among the main concerns mentioned in the resolution are the political pressures coming from the government, which are mainly against journalists. The role of the prime minister in relation to journalists is also mentioned.
The European Parliament calls on the authorities to combat disinformation and manipulative narratives "promoting media education and improving the working conditions of journalists".
Democracy and the rule of law
The draft resolution appreciated Albania's commitment to justice reform, but condemned political clashes and divisive actions, underlining the need for a common policy.
The European Parliament invites, through the resolution, political actors to increase their commitment to dialogue and to strengthen democratic institutions and procedures.
Asylum requests are another point criticized by the EP.
"Calls for continued action to reduce unfounded asylum claims by Albanian nationals, tackling criminal trafficking networks and increasing cooperation with EU justice and home affairs agencies", the resolution states.
Finally, the problem of State Security files is mentioned for the first time.
The European Parliament calls on the need to complete the process of declassifying communist-era files and making them available to researchers and the general public, in order to advance justice and reconciliation.
He completed master's studies in Investigative Journalism at the Department of Journalism at the University of Tirana. She has been working as a journalist for five years, where she previously covered issues of politics and parliamentary activity, in print and online media. She is currently a journalist at Citizens.al, where she covers various social issues related to the transparency of institutions. At Citizens.al, she leads the podcast "The Unheard" and is engaged as a manager of projects related to the support of investigative journalism.
