November 15 (SeeNews) - Progress in judicial reform remains of key importance for Albania's European Union accession process and could be transformative for other reforms, the EU Council said on Wednesday.
Albania has made steady progress in the five key priorities for the opening of accession negotiations, the Council of the EU noted in a press release issued after the ninth meeting of the Stabilisation and Association Council between Albania and EU chaired by the EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini.
“The EU welcomed the appointment of the vetting institutions in June 2017 and highlighted that this important success represents a step forward in the implementation of the justice reform in Albania. It also welcomed the deployment of the international monitoring operation observers which has started under the lead of the European Commission,” the press release reads.
The Council also said that Albania remains committed to the reform agenda and the EU welcomed the further steps in the fight against corruption and organised crime, particularly the positive results achieved in the fight against cannabis cultivation.
"The SA Council confirmed that Albania has maintained a sustained pace in the implementation of public administration reform measures and welcomed in particular the consolidation of measures aimed at strengthening the transparency and meritocracy of the civil service and improving effectiveness in service delivery."