Albania has functioned as a pluralistic parliamentary democracy since the spring elections of 1991. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe sent observers to these elections. Following the conclusions of the observation mission, as well as subsequent political developments, the Albanian parliament was granted the status of “special guest” on November 25, 1991.
From April 1991 to September 1993, the legal framework for the development of democracy was built through eight laws of a constitutional nature. These laws ensured the construction of a parliamentary Republic and the separation of powers. Likewise, the laws contained a list of human rights and fundamental freedoms, following consultations with international experts.
On May 4, 1992, Albania applied to join the EC. By means of Resolution (92)9, dated 21 May 1992, the Committee of Ministers requested the Parliamentary Assembly to issue an opinion in accordance with Statute Resolution (51) 30 A.
Beginning in May 1992, the Assembly Committees and their Rapporteurs made several consecutive visits to the country.
In January 1993, the implementation of a cooperation program organized by the European Commission and the Council of Europe in the fields of human rights and the rule of law began. The program addressed, among others, the preparation of judges, lawyers and the police, reform in the prosecution, in the judicial system, in the Ministry of Justice and in prisons; the drafting of the civil and criminal code and the relevant procedure codes.
The new Civil Code of the Republic of Albania entered into force in November 1994. The new Criminal Code and the Code of Criminal Procedures entered into force on June 1 and August 1, 1995, respectively. On March 23, 1995, an agreement was reached on a new Commission joint agreement of the European Community and the Council of Europe for the reform program in the legal system.
The Assembly assessed that Albania, in the sense of Article 4 of the Statute, was able and ready to fulfill the conditions for membership in the Council of Europe, as defined in Article 3: “Each member of the Council of Europe must accept the principles of the rule of law and the principle that every person under its jurisdiction enjoys the same human rights and fundamental freedoms, and to cooperate sincerely and effectively for the realization of its goals.
Implying that Albania equally interprets the commitments it has taken as defined in paragraphs 13 and 16 of the Statute, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe expressed a favorable Opinion (Opinion no. 189, 1995), for accepting the request for membership by Albania.
The thirteen points of Opinion 189 (1995) of the Parliamentary Assembly constitute the basis of the obligations and commitments undertaken by the Albanian state within the framework of EC membership. To date, Albania has fulfilled almost all of these commitments.
Albania’s chairmanship of the Council of Ministers’ Committee (May 23-November 9, 2012)
The Republic of Albania chaired the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe for the first time, since its membership in the second half of 2012 (May 23-November 9). In order to support and promote the fundamental values of the organization, the Albanian Presidency focused on the following priorities:
- Promotion of sustainable democratic societies;
- Strengthening democracy at the local and regional level;
- Strengthening the rule of law in Europe;
- Continuation of the political reform of the organization;
- Guaranteeing the long-term functioning of the European Court of Human Rights;
- Guaranteeing the protection and promotion of human rights;
- Stimulation of dialogue at the inter-institutional level and at the level of international organizations.
The motto of the Albanian presidency of the Council of Ministers was “United in diversity”, seeing diversity as an important asset of European democratic societies, which also reflects a traditional Albanian value.
