'Europe has open doors, Albania should act', MEPs call for caution in managing EU funds
Albania continues to have problems with the management of funds and spending of European Union money, just like any other candidate country, but it cannot be denied that it has made progress in terms of the rule of law or the fight against money laundering. At the press conference held by the MEPs of the Budgetary Control Committee of the European Parliament, the message was clear, Europe now has its doors open, however our country must again work harder in the fight against corruption. “We are looking forward to closer cooperation. Albania has its doors open like never before in the history of the European Union and you really have a lot of support for the European Union, but you need to act. You have made a lot of progress, but we are still waiting for the final step, fighting corruption is very important. This is the message for Albania and Montenegro”, said Tomasz Stechowski MEP, representative of the right from the Czech Republic.
Montenegro ranks slightly better than Albania in terms of fund management, however, more tangible results are expected from both countries in the next three years. The Committee member also underlined the need for a pension reform. “I can mention here many projects where we are not satisfied with the spending of money, but many of them are investigated by OLAF. Montenegro remains a leading country, however, both countries have progressed in the legal and institutional framework with EU standards, especially in the rule of law, the fight against organized crime, asset recovery and confiscation, as well as in the fight against money laundering. The path from adopting rules to building a culture of accountability is long. We are convinced that in the next two or three years, Montenegro and Albania will show tangible results by dedicating resources to law enforcement, ensuring judicial and audit independence, as well as enabling the participation of civil society. Today we discussed pension reform. Without pension reform, your country will have a big problem with the budget”, added Stechowski.
The Budgetary Control Committee is a committee of the European Parliament responsible for ensuring that EU taxpayers' money is well spent not only in the member states, but also in candidate countries and elsewhere in the world. Over the last two or three days, members of the committee have spoken to authorities in Montenegro and Albania about these issues.
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