Albania’s fight against corruption remains a crucial test of its European integration process, Justice Minister Toni Gogu said, stressing the need to align national legislation with European Union standards and strengthen regional cooperation.
Gogu made the remarks during the session on the judicial dimension of the fight against corruption at the EU–Western Balkans Ministerial Forum on Justice and Home Affairs, held in Budva, Montenegro, on November 5–6. The annual forum was chaired by Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the EU and brought together representatives of the European Commission and Western Balkan countries.
Gogu welcomed the European Commission’s latest assessment, which recognised Albania’s progress in tackling corruption. The Commission noted that the Special Prosecution Office against Corruption and Organised Crime (SPAK) continues to demonstrate independence and deliver results in high-level corruption cases.
However, the minister stressed that further action remains necessary. Preventive measures must become more effective, financial investigations must begin earlier, and criminal assets seized by authorities must lead to confiscation whenever the law and available evidence allow.
He also underlined the government’s responsibility to improve the conditions in which independent institutions operate. This means strengthening the legal framework, providing adequate resources and enabling public administration to report suspected corruption more effectively.
At the same time, Gogu stressed that magistrates must make their decisions independently.
“Governments can propose laws, provide resources and strengthen institutions. What they must never do is exert pressure. Independence is the condition that makes accountability credible,” he said.
He added that corruption has direct consequences for citizens, businesses and public services. Patients face longer waiting times, companies lose opportunities to compete fairly, and citizens lose confidence in the equal application of the law.
Meanwhile, Albania’s Anti-Corruption Strategy 2024–2030 is addressing risks in public procurement, healthcare and taxation. The country has also advanced reforms concerning whistleblower protection, conflicts of interest, lobbying and political financing.
Gogu said Albania welcomed EU Directive 2026/1021 and, as a candidate country, would align its criminal legislation and broader anti-corruption framework with its provisions.
Turning to regional cooperation, the minister proposed three priorities for Western Balkan countries.
First, governments should measure how effectively anti-corruption measures work in practice, using comparable indicators such as the time required to process mutual legal assistance requests and the transition from asset freezing to confiscation. A first joint assessment could be presented next year.
Second, countries should strengthen operational cooperation, reduce delays and fully respect procedural safeguards.
Third, they should invest in people, particularly judges, prosecutors, financial investigators and asset management specialists.
Gogu concluded that all three priorities depend on safeguarding the independence of those responsible for investigating and prosecuting corruption.
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