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Brussels media defends Balluk: The biggest blow to Integration since Berisha did not allow the arrest of the guards!
2026-03-12 20:42:32 / POLITIKË
The Albanian Parliament rejected on Thursday the request of the Special Prosecution Office against Corruption and Organized Crime (SPAK) to lift the immunity of former Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku on corruption charges.
This decision caused strong reactions from the European Union Delegation in Tirana and from several EU member states.
According to SeeNews, 82 MPs, mostly from the ruling Socialist Party (SP), which is also Balluku's party, voted against the request in the 140-seat parliament, while 47 voted to lift her immunity. Balluku was not present during the vote.
Meanwhile, as the plenary session ended, the opposition protest continued outside Parliament, demanding the arrest of Balluk and the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama.
SPAK had requested authorization from the Assembly to lift Balluk's immunity in order to arrest her. She is accused by the Special Prosecution Office of abusing millions of euros in tenders for several infrastructure projects.
On February 26, the Albanian Prime Minister dismissed Balluku from her duties as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure, as part of a government reorganization.
She was initially suspended from duty and banned from traveling abroad by the Special Court Against Corruption and Organized Crime.
In response to today's vote, the European Union Delegation to Albania stated that "commitment to the rule of law and the fight against corruption are of fundamental importance for the EU accession process."
"Ensuring an enabling environment for SPAK to effectively carry out its work is essential to credibly support Albania's progress towards membership in the European Union. We emphasize that creating an enabling environment for the functioning of justice institutions is a key element for advancing reforms," the EU Delegation told Albanian media.
For its part, the German Embassy in Tirana emphasized that the prosecution of high-level corruption must be implemented quickly and without obstacles, recalling that these are conditions for the EU membership process.
"A necessary condition for making progress in this merit-based process is the effective prosecution of corruption, even in high-profile cases. Our clear expectation is that even in these cases, criminal prosecution through justice is carried out quickly and without obstacles. Albanian politics must continue to guarantee this process," the statement said.
The United Kingdom Embassy in Tirana also called for responsibility and respect for the rule of law as key elements on Albania's path towards EU integration.
Last month, the European Parliament urged the Albanian parliament to examine SPAK's request without delay, also calling for accountability.
On the other hand, Prime Minister Edi Rama stated that he welcomed the reactions of the embassies, but added that "the Assembly rightly refused to deprive a deputy of his freedom."
"The justice reform is not being undone, the independence of the judiciary is not being violated and support for SPAK remains unwavering. The real fight against corruption continues, more persistent than ever, as the updated objective assessment of the European Commission shows. Belinda Balluku is not accused of corruption and the investigation into the case must continue without being hindered, whether by obstruction or by the intervention of SPAK or factors outside the boundaries of independent judicial power," he said.
According to Rama, "The Albanian Parliament showed today that the dignity of deputies is not material for socio-political experiments, which make the cure more dangerous than the disease it must fight."
"The ruling majority did today without any discussion what any democratic parliament in Europe would do, where the approval of the prosecutor's requests, not for the arrest without trial of a deputy, but to decide whether or not an investigation should be initiated, does not pass anywhere without any kind of control, like crossing without border control in the Schengen area. It is a serious process, based on constitutional and legal norms, which are neither a 'white card' nor closed doors for the prosecution ," he said.
Meanwhile, Gjergji Vurmo, founder of ELEVATE Consulting and member of the Balkans in Europe Policy Advisory Group (BiEPAG), stated that " today Albania experienced the biggest setback since 1996."
"We went back to 2011, when Prime Minister Berisha refused to arrest suspected members of the Republican Guard. This will cost us dearly," Vurmo wrote on the X platform./ Adaptation in Albanian Alfapress.al, taken from European Western Balkans
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