Joint Statement by Civil Society Organisations on the Quality and Transparency of Law-Making in the European Integration Process
Tirana, 3 June 2026
A coalition of 30 civil society organisations, including All Green Centre, has issued a joint statement calling on the Assembly of Albania to ensure that the accelerated procedure for EU integration legislation is applied with clear safeguards for parliamentary scrutiny, transparency, public consultation, and quality law-making.
The statement follows the adoption of amendments to the Rules of Procedure of the Assembly and builds on the joint civil society position of 13 March 2026. While some formulations were improved, the coalition underlines that the key issue now is how the accelerated procedure will be used in practice and what guarantees will prevent EU integration legislation from being reviewed only formally or mechanically.
Following Albania’s 8th Intergovernmental Conference, the country has moved from the fulfilment of intermediary benchmarks towards the closing phase of Cluster 1 – Fundamentals. In this phase, progress will not be assessed only through the adoption of laws, but through a sustainable and monitorable track record of reforms, including implementation, transparency, consultation, and parliamentary oversight.
On the accelerated procedure – Article 28 of the amended Rules of Procedure allows draft laws aimed at alignment with EU legislation to be reviewed under an accelerated procedure when linked to accession deadlines, and exempts such draft laws from the usual quantitative limits on the use of this procedure. Given the expected volume, technical nature, and public impact of EU approximation legislation, the coalition warns that acceleration must remain reasoned, transparent, and limited to cases where it is genuinely necessary.
On consultation and transparency – The “EU Card” is recognised as a positive step for identifying the link between a draft law and the acquis, the Stabilisation and Association Agreement, or negotiation obligations. However, the coalition stresses that identification alone is not enough. The “EU Card” must be accompanied by full documentation, clear reasoning for the use of the accelerated procedure, appropriate consultation, and genuine review in the responsible parliamentary committees.
Recommendations
The coalition calls on the Assembly of Albania and the proposing institutions to guarantee the following safeguards in the law-making process related to European integration:
- Consultation should start at the earliest stages of policy and draft law preparation within the proposing ministries and institutions, before draft laws are approved by the Council of Ministers and submitted to Parliament.
- The use of the accelerated procedure must be justified publicly and in writing for each individual draft law.
- Draft laws should enter committee review only after full accompanying documentation has been published, including the explanatory report, “EU Card”, acquis compliance table, budgetary and institutional impact, implementation responsibilities, and information on prior consultation.
- High-impact draft laws should undergo genuine consultation with experts, civil society organisations, and affected stakeholders.
- Complex, cross-sectoral, costly, or broad-impact draft laws should be reviewed through the ordinary procedure, not through acceleration.
- The Assembly should strengthen parliamentary oversight over how EU integration legislation is planned, proposed, consulted, adopted, and implemented.
- The full law-making cycle should be publicly traceable and open to monitoring, from planning and choice of procedure to consultation, committee review, plenary decision-making, and implementation follow-up.
The coalition also recommends that the Assembly and the Government include public and accessible monitoring of the Roadmaps for the fundamentals chapters, inclusive dialogue with all stakeholders, and systematic consultation in legislative harmonisation as new measures under the Reform Agenda 2024–2027.
Read statement in English and in Albanian.
Signatory organisations
- Center Science and Innovation for Development (SCiDEV)
- Institute for Political Studies (ISP)
- Institute for Democracy and Mediation (IDM)
- Partners Albania for Change and Development (Partners)
- “Strehëza Edlira Haxhiymeri” Center
- Together for Life (TFL)
- European Movement in Albania (EMA)
- Academy of Political Studies (ASP)
- AWEN — Albanian Women Empowerment Network
- Gender Alliance for Development Centre (GADC)
- Cooperation and Development Institute (CDI)
- Faktoje
- Center for the Study of Democracy and Governance (CSDG)
- Balkan Investigative Reporting Network Albania (BIRN Albania)
- Children’s Rights Centre Albania (CRCA / ECPAT Albania)
- Albanian Media Council (AMC)
- Albanian Center for Quality Journalism (ACQJ)
- Association of Journalists of Albania (AJA)
- Erasmus Student Network Tirana (ESN Tirana)
- Information Network and Active Citizenship (INAC)
- Albanian Institute of Science / Open Data Albania
- Center for Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development — All Green Centre
- Qëndresa Qytetare (Civic Resistance)
- Albanian Center for Economic Research (ACER)
- Together Foundation
- Amfora Center
- Center for Comparative and International Studies (CCIS)
- Albanian Woman in Audiovisual (AWA)
- LGBTI Anti-Discrimination Alliance
- Women’s Network Equality in Decision Making
