TIRANA – Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama on Tuesday urged business community representatives to become involved in the efforts to mount public pressure to unblock implementation of the vetting process and press ahead with crucial judicial reforms, ATA news agency reports.
“Every day we waste today is equal to a year we lose on the path of the country’s future. Judicial reform is a national issue and not a political one. Any effort to politicize the reform is an attempt to shun and deflect it. Judicial reform and vetting process is a fundamental step to more investment, employment and income for families,” the government head told a gathering with Albanian businesspeople and entrepreneurs.
PM Rama said Albania has all potential to develop major investment in many sectors, and tourism industry in particular, but he noted that “investors become increasingly sceptical due to legal instability and uncertainties created by a justice system that threatens contracts.”
‘If the country’s banking system inherits a series of problems this is because of the courts that block banks,” he said.
The President of Union of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Albania, Ines Muçostepa, appealed to political parties to commit themselves to the implementation of the justice system reform, describing the reform as key to the country’s economic growth and development.
“Albanian business community needs this reform. No economic reform could create such economic sustainability. The reform serves to a secure business climate in the country and attracts more domestic and foreign investment projects,” Muçostepa said.
Same appeal was reiterated by the Business Albania President, Luan Bregasi, who noted that “all public surveys identify the lack of rule of law and justice as the main stumbling block to business and investment.”