News

Albania Customs Administration publishes new manual to standardize customs valuation practices

Albania’s Customs Administration has published the “Customs Valuation Manual”, a practical guide designed to standardize procedures and ensure the consistent application of rules for determining the value of goods for customs purposes. The manual brings together the relevant legal framework and customs valuation methods. It also addresses issues that customs …

News

Demo meets Director for Western Balkans Superti: Chapters 24 and 22 in focus as Albania presses ahead toward its 2027 goal

Interior Minister Ervin Demo met with Valentina Superti, Director for the Western Balkans at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Enlargement, to discuss Albania’s progress toward EU membership. Their first meeting focused on the final milestones for Chapter 24, “Justice, Freedom and Security,” and Chapter 22, “Regional Policy and Coordination of …

News

Director-General of the EC Esposito: New Criminal Procedure Code should strengthen justice and protect rights

“Drafting a Criminal Procedure Code ranks among a country’s most important undertakings. It defines how authorities collect evidence, conduct questioning, restrict freedom and enforce criminal penalties,” said Gianluca Esposito, Director General for Human Rights and the Rule of Law at the Council of Europe. Speaking at a meeting in Tirana …

News

Rama: No prison detention for offences carrying sentences of less than five years

Prime Minister Edi Rama today presented a draft package of amendments to Albania’s Criminal Procedure Code. Rama focused on the rules for imposing security measures. He also outlined plans to strengthen alternatives to pre-trial detention. During the presentation, Rama referred to an episode involving Professor Rafael Pariso. According to Rama, …

News

Finance Minister Malaj meets IMF mission: Significant improvements in public investment planning and management

Finance Minister Petrit Malaj met with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission assessing public investment efficiency (PIMA), led by Ian Hawkesworth. The meeting focused on the IMF’s findings and assessment of Albania’s public investment efficiency. The IMF plans to publish the full report soon. During the meeting, participants highlighted Albania’s …

News

Parliament honors Vendim Kapaj: Albanian traditional sounds featured in Nolan’s “The Odyssey”

On National Cultural Heritage Day, the Albanian Parliament expressed its appreciation for everyone who works to preserve and pass on the country’s cultural heritage from one generation to the next. In a social media post, Parliament highlighted the work of Vendim Kapaj, who holds the title “Grand Master” and has …

News

FM Hoxha welcomes new U.S. ambassador: Stronger strategic partnership, expanded economic and investment opportunities

Albania’s Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Ferit Hoxha, met today with the newly appointed U.S. Ambassador to Albania, Eric Wendt. Hoxha described the United States as one of Albania’s closest and most valued strategic partners. “Our relationship rests on shared democratic values, a strong security partnership within NATO, and …

News

German Cultural Week Brings Oktoberfest, Art and Music to Tirana

German Cultural Week 2026 will bring art, music, gastronomy and traditions to Tirana under the slogan “Culture Connects Us All,” as part of the International Cultural Weeks. From October 2 to 6, the city will celebrate German culture through a diverse program of events. Since the launch of the International …

News

Gonxhja: Objects from Ardenica’s “Mill Room” added to cultural heritage inventory

On National Cultural Heritage Day, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sports Blendi Gonxhja announced that the National Institute of Cultural Heritage has registered and catalogued, for the first time, the objects preserved in the “Mill Room” at Ardenica Monastery. The objects will now become part of Albania’s cultural heritage inventory. …

News

Rama: 10 Years of Justice Reform Brought Down the ‘100-Year Cult of Impunity’

Prime Minister Edi Rama reviewed a decade of justice reform during the presentation of amendments to the Code of Criminal Procedure. Rama praised the results of the reform, saying that over the past 10 years, achievements have been made that previously seemed impossible. According to him, the 2016 constitutional amendments …