On 1 October 2019, Dr. Darinka Piqani co-organized and moderated a panel discussion on the theme of "Rule of law challenges and prospects in Albania and North Macedonia".
The event took place in light of the forthcoming EU's General Affairs Council of 15 October wherein, the question whether negotiations about EU accession should be opened with Albania and North Macedonia, will be discussed. Enlargement may not be at the top of EU's agenda, however the prospect of EU membership is a crucial political ambition and project for both countries and the region as a whole. In the name of Europeanization both countries are currently performing significant reforms reaching from independence of the judiciary, (good) public administration and to overall good governance. The speakers enlightened the audience about the (painful) steps both countries have taken thus far and highlighted the challenges that still lay ahead of them.
The panel discussion took place in the House of Europe in The Hague and was co-organized by the Asser Institute and the Dutch Albanian Foundation with the support of the Albanian Embassy in the Hague and the European Commission. The panel itself was composed of Dr. Narin Idriz from Asser Institute, Gent Ibrahimi, chairman of the High Council of Prosecutors of Albania, Dr Denis Preshova from Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, and Marc Jorna from the Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations of the European Commission.
