Amid accusations against Balluku over millions of euros, Strik calls for zero tolerance for corruption: Politicians must not obstruct investigations

The fact-finding mission to Albania by the delegation of MEPs from the Greens/European Free Alliance (Greens/EFA) group in the European Parliament concluded this Wednesday, following a visit focused on concerns over the tourism project in the Vjosa-Narta Protected Area and the protests that have been taking place in Tirana for more than a month.

During their stay, the MEPs held meetings with representatives of institutions, civil society organizations and citizens. Also at the center of attention was the impact that the tourism project in the protected Vjosa-Narta lagoon could have, an issue over which they have expressed concerns in relation to European Union standards.

At a press conference held at Europe House, Dutch MEP Tineke Strik also spoke about corruption allegations against senior officials, stressing that the European Union should have no tolerance of any kind for corruption.

She stated that politicians should neither be protected nor become an obstacle to investigations, while calling on the government to make a serious commitment to building a functional rule-of-law system, with zero tolerance for corruption and unfair public procurement procedures.

Strik also addressed the protests that have been taking place in Tirana for 32 days, where protesters are demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama and the departure of the government. According to her, the way the authorities have responded to peaceful protesters is not in line with democratic standards.