05/12/2013 Monitoring
PACE co-rapporteurs for the monitoring of Albania, Jonathan Evans (United Kingdom, EDG) and Grigore Petrenco (Moldova, UEL), speaking at the end of a five-day visit to the country, have welcomed the new political environment in Albania.
"This new environment, and the public goodwill the new authorities clearly inspire, offer a special opportunity for both government and opposition to constructively work together to implement the reforms necessary for Albania to honour its accession commitments and obligations as regards democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights," they said.
"We are pleased that the new authorities are giving priority to important matters such as combating corruption, ensuring an independent judiciary free from political interference and guaranteeing stable democratic institutions," the co-rapporteurs said. They stressed the importance of fully implementing, in good faith, the many strategies and laws that have been adopted and that are being discussed in parliament. "In the end, it is the concrete results of this work that will ultimately weigh most heavily in our assessment," they concluded.