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Albania, Serbia Plan Joint Bid for 2027 European Youth Football Tournament

Albania’s Football Federation said it has teamed up with its Serbian counterpart to organise the European Under-21 football competition together with its neighbour in three years’ time. Original post Here

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Political Attacks, Misogynistic Insults Continue to Pollute Balkan Online Space

The aftermath of elections in Turkey and Croatia and the electoral campaign in North Macedonia prompted politically-motivated digital rights violations in the region this month, while Kosovo and Montenegro saw an increase in misogynistic attacks on women online. Original post Here

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Balkan Farmers Struggle to Access Tens of Millions of Euros in EU Funds

Farmers in Albania, Montenegro and North Macedonia face similar challenges when trying to access funds from the European Union’s IPARD programme. Original post Here

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Ukrainian Visit to Serbia Yields Pledges to Revive Trade

Ukrainian Foreign Minister says Kyiv delegation’s two-day visit to Serbia – a friend of Russia’s – ended with agreement to restore bilateral trade to pre-war levels. Original post Here

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Condolences – and Silence – from Balkans Over Iranian President’s Death

Expressions of sorrow over the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and other officials are coming from some Balkan countries but not others – depending on the state of their relations with Tehran. Original post Here

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Women on Albanian Councils Told to ‘Shut Up’, Study Reveals

Albania has approved gender equality quotas for local councils since 2015. However, undemocratic practices by party leaders make women less willing to speak out and, when they do, more prone to be told: “Shut up”, a study has found. Original post Here

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Conflict of Interest? Restaurant Investment Raises Questions for Albanian Minister

Municipality’s payments to a restaurant owned by the wife of the former deputy mayor – now a government minister – raises fresh questions about business connections between state officials and their private business partners. Original post Here

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School’s Out: In Albania, Segregation of Minority Pupils Fuels High Dropout Rate

Evidence shows that schools with a large concentration of Roma and ethnic Egyptian pupils underperform – but Albania’s Education Ministry doesn’t see a problem. Original post Here

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Albania Bank Governor Faces Prosecution Threat Over Fraudulent Loans

Prosecutors say Gent Sejko has questions to answer over a dodgy company that harassed some 17,000 Albanians for nonexistant loans, and which operated under bank’s license for years. Original post Here

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‘No Way Out’: Support Shortfall Forces Albanian Abuse Victims Back to Abusers

Albania registers thousands of cases of domestic violence every year but the absence of an adequate state support system means many victims end up back with their abusers. Original post Here