“The EU takes note of the results of today’s vote in the Albanian parliament. Commitment to the rule of law and the fight against corruption are of paramount importance for the EU accession process,” a European Commission spokesperson told POLITICO Thursday.
“Ensuring a conducive environment for SPAK to effectively carry out its work is essential to credibly sustain Albania’s progress towards EU membership.”
The embassies of Germany, the U.K. and the Netherlands also reacted to the vote, echoing Brussels’ sentiment calling for the judicial process not to be tampered with.
For Albania to join the EU, “the effective prosecution of corruption, even in high-profile cases, is an essential prerequisite,” Germany’s embassy in Tirana said in a statement, calling for Albania’s government to respect the rule of law. “It is our clear expectation that the judiciary will be able to prosecute these cases swiftly and without hindrance,” it added.
Rama responded with a statement on X, saying that “we all agree 100 percent” with the “expressed principles.” He insisted on Albania’s path into the EU by 2030 and that the government in Tirana fully supports SPAK.
“The governing majority today did exactly what any democratic parliament in Europe would do,” the prime minister wrote. He argued that approving prosecutors’ requests to arrest an MP must follow the constitution and cannot be treated like “crossing Schengen borders without checks.”
Balluku’s predecessor, Arben Ahmetaj, is also wanted by SPAK on corruption and money-laundering charges. The Albanian Ministry of Justice filed a request for Swiss authorities to extradite him in late 2025. Tirana Mayor Erion Veliaj, another member of Rama’s party, has been in pre-trial detention since his 2025 arrest on similar charges.