Ambassador Gonzato: This was a routine visit to the Commission and to Mr. Celibashi to have an update on the elections. 

But let me first address the elephant in the room. I would like to say one thing: the European Union, which I represent here in Albania, does not interfere and does not manipulate. That's why I took quite a rare step, that of making a disclaimer in the press and saying that the news that was spread according to which we had exerted pressure on ODIHR to remove names from the interim report is totally false. If people know me and if people know the European Union, they know that this is false. Also any political actors knows the methodology used by ODIHR in its reports. ODIHR is totally Independent and we respect their independence. We always support their recommendations. That is why we are working closely with them and we are looking forward to the final report.

As I said before, these elections are very important because it's the first elections that happen since we opened the negotiations with Albania and we opened the Fundamentals, which is also about democratic institutions and democratic processes.

I came here to see Mr.Celibashi because I wanted to have an update. Also to see how we can continue to support the Commission. We have full trust in the Commission and after the elections, we will continue to support it also financially to improve constantly the way you work, Commissioner, and I think you have done fantastic job so far. Thank you!

Q&A

Question: Mr. Ambassador how concerned is the European Union about the phenomenon of money laundering during here in Albania, especially in the construction sector, and can you do you think there is a risk of influencing the May 11th elections from the money that come from criminal sources?

Ambassador Gonzato: I do not make assessments before the elections. We have trust, as I said, in ODIHR. They are doing an excellent job and it is a massive mission that is here present in in Albania.

The fight against organized crime and corruption is at the very heart of the negotiations. We also have full trust in the work done by SPAK, so definitely we will keep an eye on this as well.

Question: Mr. Ambassador, also how do you see the process of diaspora voting, which is being implemented for the first time?

Ambassador Gonzato: I think the Commission has done a fantastic job. There are of course challenges and Mr. Celibashi is more suited to address them and speak about them, but I think that the process has been conducted in a very transparent way, which is the important thing. You can see all the data online and if there are issues, the Commission is there to address them.  

Question: Mr. Ambassador, you made your clarifications about the statement of yesterday, but do you have any opinion about some misunderstandings and misinterpretations that have made some media about your declarations that your statement of yesterday was for Democratic Party and not for a specific media? 

Ambassador Gonzato: No, it is for nobody. It is a statement that emphasises the fact that the European Union is here to support Albania, to accompany Albania. We are not here to interfere with processes. We are not here to manipulate anything. And that's why I was a bit shocked to see this, and I felt that I had to react. It is targeting nobody. It is just targeting that information. 

Question: Mr. Ambassador, in the report of ODIHR mission it mentions a lot of problems involving crime and corruption. Does those problems affect the process?

Ambassador Gonzato: It will be up to ODIHR to make this assessment. These are issues that have been raised systematically. We had expressed the hope that the Parliament would adopt all of the ODIHR recommendations that include campaign financing, defamation issues and they include other aspects of the electoral process. We trust that this will be addressed very soon by the new parliament, because these are very important issues.

Question: Do you have any comment about the lobbing contract of the Democratic Party?

Ambassador Gonzato: No, I do not. I wait for the competent authorities to give their opinion.

Thank you.