Rama on Magistrates’ Salaries: “Let’s Sit at a Working Table for a Sustainable Solution”

Prime Minister Edi Rama has reacted to the situation between the executive and the judiciary over the law on magistrates’ salaries, calling for institutional dialogue and a long-term solution.

Through a statement, Rama says the leaders of the two justice-system councils and the heads of judiciary institutions should respond positively to the invitation to sit at a joint working table.

“I hope and believe that the representatives of the judiciary, starting from the leaders of the two councils and then the heads of judiciary institutions, will respond positively to the invitation to sit together at a working table without wasting time, and to address the topic of the magistrates’ salary system in the function of a sustainable long-term solution, which guarantees them forever while at the same time guaranteeing the permanent balance of the state’s salary pyramid,” Rama writes.

The prime minister notes that experts from the Council of Europe could also take part in the table proposed by the government, while stressing that the contribution of the European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice is also expected.

“Our table will also welcome the participation of Council of Europe experts, as well as the contribution of the European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice,” he continues. Rama also noted that magistrates’ independence and their salary levels are the result, according to him, of the decisions and will of the governing majority. “Albania’s magistrates should not forget that their until yesterday unimaginable degree of independence and their treatment with the highest salaries in the Republic of Albania and among the highest in the region did not fall from the sky, but bear the seal of the will of this governing majority, which does not want conflict with the judiciary but institutional interaction, in respect of mutual independence,” the prime minister says.

In conclusion, Rama stresses that any disagreement between institutions should be handled through dialogue and with an institutional approach.

THE PRIME MINISTER’S POST:

“I hope and believe that the representatives of the judiciary, starting from the leaders of the two councils and then the heads of judiciary institutions, will respond positively to the invitation to sit together at a working table without wasting time, and to address the topic of the magistrates’ salary system in the function of a sustainable long-term solution, which guarantees them forever while at the same time guaranteeing the permanent balance of the state’s salary pyramid. Our table will also welcome the participation of Council of Europe experts, as well as the contribution of the European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice.

Albania’s magistrates should not forget that their until yesterday unimaginable degree of independence and their treatment with the highest salaries in the Republic of Albania and among the highest in the region did not fall from the sky, but bear the seal of the will of this governing majority, which does not want conflict with the judiciary but institutional interaction, in respect of mutual independence. And if we have disagreements, it is up to us to handle them with wisdom and patience, setting an example of state dignity for our citizens and at the same time for Albania’s partners 🇦🇱⚖️🇪🇺”