The ALGREE project announces the publication of its first thematic paper entitled “The Journey of Albania’s Justice Reform: Progress Amidst Ongoing Implementation Challenges” authored by Bledar Feta and Çelik Rruplli. This publication puts under the microscope the judicial reform in Albania, which is one of the prerequisites for the country to advance its EU membership.

The report provides an in-depth examination of Albania’s judicial reform, consisting of four distinct thematic elements. The first part highlights the needs and shortcomings that necessitated the reform, providing an overview of the most critical stages of the process. The second part analyzes the outcomes of the reform, with a special emphasis on its two main pillars. The third part addresses the problematic aspects of the implementation phase, assessing the vetting process and the work of SPAK – the Special Anti-Corruption and Organized Crime Structure. The fourth and final part offers an overview of the findings from the European Commission’s progress reports on Albania for the years 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024, providing an assessment of its performance with regard to Chapter 23 through a year-over-year comparison.

You can read the full paper here.

The video below presents the findings of this research as broadcasted on Greek public television. In his interview on Kallis Zaralis’s show “SYNORA” (ERT3), Bledar Feta emphasized the progress made since 2016 in Albania, when the specific reform that led to the creation of SPAK, the special judicial body for fighting organized crime and corruption, began. “Before 2016, no one imagined that high-ranking officials would pass through the door of justice,” Feta remarked, highlighting SPAK’s achievements while also noting the attempts to discredit it by both government and opposition members who are currently under investigation by the judiciary. Feta pointed out that SPAK is the only institution that enjoys the trust of Albanians, which stems from the international community’s involvement in its formation and operation, rather than the restoration of citizens’ trust in the judicial system, which still faces significant challenges.

This thematic paper is part of the multilayered project “ALGREE — Albania-Greece: Understanding. Connecting. Partnering.” implemented by the South-East Europe Programme of the Hellenic Foundation for Foreign & European Policy (ELIAMEP), and powered by the Open Society Foundations – Western Balkans (OSF-WB) and the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom Greece and Cyprus (FNF).

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Projects
24133ALGREE: The Journey of Albania’s Justice Reform: Progress Amidst Ongoing Implementation Challenges – Bledar Feta & Çelik Rruplli
ALGREE – Albania-Greece: Understanding. Connecting. Partnering.
Ioannis Armakolas
Ιοannis PaparizosPanagiotis PaschalidisÇelik RruplliBledar Feta
Experts
Bledar Feta Research Fellow, Foreign policy, domestic politics, human rights in South-East Europe
ALGREE: The Journey of Albania’s Justice Reform: Progress Amidst Ongoing Implementation Challenges – Bledar Feta & Çelik Rruplli
Çelik Rruplli Research Fellow, South-East Europe Programme, media analysis, foreign and security policies, human rights