Tirana, 30 December 2021 (MIA) – Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama told Thursday’s end-of-year press briefing that the process of European integration is clear, adding that “Albania is in an absurd phase of blockade due to the veto imposed by Bulgaria on North Macedonia.” He noted that Tirana has no intention of depending indefinitely on Sofia’s will, announcing it will seek decoupling of Albania from North Macedonia on the EU path if Bulgaria refuses to lift its veto by the end of the French EU Presidency, i.e. after the first six months of next year. “If Bulgaria refuses to lift its veto, we will openly seek decoupling from North Macedonia. In the meantime, what’s important is that our scores in terms of this process are increasing and two important components in this increase are the steps that the judiciary started taking,” Rama said. He pointed out that the Special Prosecution against Corruption and Organized Crime (SPAK) has passed the exam, showing it was not a political prosecutor of neither the left nor the right, but a special prosecutor’s office to fight crime in Albania. Rama stressed that joint operations have been taken to a new level, where SPAK has a special role. “I want to encourage SPAK prosecutors to look neither left nor right. When we started the judicial reform, many people didn’t believe we would succeed,” said the Albanian PM. He reiterated that his Socialist Party will not protect anyone who has gone against the law.