Hello and welcome!

It is a pleasure for me to start serving as Minister of Justice, following a very important event which is the submission of the Progress Report on Albania by the European Commission. It is one, if not the only one, of the most realistic reports ever released in the history of these years of the Albanian state, the Albanian government, and not only.

For the sake of truth, due to the materialization of things and because of the specific language used, this report puts us in front of many major challenges. As Minister of Justice, I am here today to confirm that all recommendations in this report will be the guide or the “Bible” of my work. This is the most important thing to understand, for the fulfillment of all the recommendations of this report will enable the Albanian state and the Albanians to receive the invitation to launch accession negotiations in the spring.

It is a concrete agenda. No more words, no more empty declarations. Now it is the time for work. This report is my “Bible”, as it is I think of my colleagues’ in the Government.

We must understand that the main topic of this report is directly related to judicial reform. You know that today, this reform is led by the Albanian Parliament where various stakeholders, including the Minister of Justice, are contributing and will contribute to improving the quality of everything, because we are interested together for a deep and stable reform to provide legal services to all citizens.

On this occasion I would like to confirm once again as Minister of Justice, as an official who actually has not been given the mandate to do justice but to perform legal services, we have a range of activities, a number of measures we need to take properly in order to serve citizens better.

I will always support the view that things which are simple in appearance, but in fact with very visible consequences, are important in my work. I remain very engaged in the implementation of these recommendations, to deal with the issue of the trial deadlines, with quick-trial issues in general and legal services to be provided as quickly as possible, because delay and procrastination mean corruption.

In this regard, anti-corruption initiatives will be ongoing both on my part and on the part of my colleagues in the Council of Ministers. Anti-corruption initiatives have been taken long ago. There is here in the Prime Ministry a very important anti-corruption team with whom we cooperate on a daily basis.

In addition to thanking you, I invite you constantly talk about these issues, and I remain always available to answer to the public interest, but in the first place I remain available to perform legal services on time, quickly and pursuant to the law, as well as with dignity, quality and fighting any corrupt practices.