At a time when protests in Albania have escalated into violent clashes between demonstrators and police, the German government recalls the importance of the rule of law for membership in the European Union.
Asked by Deutsche Welle at the Federal Press Conference in Berlin, the spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry, Martin Giese, referred to the European Commission's assessments of the candidate countries of the Western Balkans .
According to him, Montenegro leads the integration process, while Albania is close behind, but there is still work to be done, especially in the area of the rule of law.
These are clearly tasks that the Albanian government must fulfill. Similar demands are also being made by the population in Albania, Giese declared.
He stressed that the rule of law and the fight against corruption are important criteria for EU membership, but did not specifically comment on the allegations of police violence during the demonstrations.
The European Union delegation in Tirana has meanwhile called for a priority investigation into allegations of excessive use of force by the police against protesters and journalists./ DW.com
