Monday Briefing from the Balkans: March 31, 2025
Catch up on the weekend’s most important developments with Balkan Insight’s digest of news from countries across the region. Original post Here
Money Laundering Causes Poverty, Income Disparity in Balkans, Says BIRN Film
A new BIRN documentary shows how money laundering has been increasing poverty, prices and income inequality in Albania, Kosovo and Montenegro. Original post Here
Diaspora Vote Might Shake Up Albanian Politics, But Big Parties Likely to Prevail
For the first time, Albanians abroad will be able to vote by post in the country’s May parliamentary election; some hope the change will help end the domination of the two big parties, but experts are not so sure. Original post Here
Jailed Albanian Mayor Hires US Law Firm That Worked for Trump
While behind bars and under investigation for graft and money laundering, Tirana mayor Erion Veliaj and his businessman brother have engaged hard-hitting New York law firm Kasowitz Benson Torres to assist his case. Original post Here
Albanian Rights Organisations Take TikTok Ban to Court
BIRN Albania, along with a civil rights group and a journalists’ association, have urged the country’s top court to declare a controversial law banning TikTok in Albania for a year unconstitutional. Original post Here
Italy to Albania, and Back: A Migrant’s Journey Through Italy’s Asylum Experiment
Italy’s right-wing government called it a magic wand for the migrants arriving on its shores, but a deal with Albania to outsource and accelerate asylum processing has run afoul of Italian courts. Critics say it flies in the face of international humanitarian law. Original post Here
Albanian Orthodox Church Gets First Ethnic Albanian Leader in Generations
The new Primate will need to be savvy, navigating between conflicting pro-Russian and pro-Ukrainian currents in the small but opinionated Albanian Orthodox Church. Original post Here
Monday Briefing from the Balkans: March 23, 2025
Catch up on the weekend’s most important developments with Balkan Insight’s digest of news from countries across the region. Original post Here
Albania’s Controversial TikTok Ban Still Not Fully Working
A government order to ban TikTok to protect children from violent material came into force more than a week ago, but the mobile phone app for the video-sharing platform is still partially working in Albania. Original post Here
Albania, Croatia, and Kosovo Sign Defense Agreement: A New Military Alliance in the Balkans?
By Tirana Times TIRANA, Albania, March 19th— Albania, Croatia, and Kosovo have signed a joint declaration aimed at strengthening defense and security cooperation, marking a significant geopolitical development in the Western Balkans. The agreement, announced this week in Tirana, signals an increased level of military collaboration but stops short of …
By Tirana Times Staff FIER/TIRANA, July 2, 2025 — In a stunning development that has shaken Albania’s oil sector, police arrested the current CEO of Bankers Petroleum, Chinese national Hongping Xiao, and the company’s former director, Leonidha Çobo, during a surprise raid on the company’s headquarters in Fier on Tuesday. …
CEO Arrested, €4 Billion in Oil Sales Revealed, and Zero Profit Tax Paid to the Albanian State FIER/TIRANA, Albania (Tirana Times) — Albania’s largest oil producer, Bankers Petroleum, is at the center of a sweeping scandal that prosecutors say involves one of the most egregious cases of tax fraud and …
While Turning UK Migration Debate into Personal Stagecraft TIRANA TIMES — July 2, 2025 — A fiery public exchange between Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama and British right-wing populist Nigel Farage has brought the issue of Albanian migration into the political spotlight once again — but this time with a …
The participants of the Growth Plan Summit, 1 July 2025, Skopje; Photo: European Commission By Tirana Times SKOPJE, July 2, 2025 — The European Union’s renewed enthusiasm for enlargement took center stage at this week’s Growth Plan Summit in Skopje, where EU Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos joined the leaders …
A social media row between British right-winger Nigel Farage and Albania’s premier Edi Rama over the level of crime committed by Albanians in the UK misses the main point. Original post Here
By Klodian Tomorri The history of the global economy is filled with well-documented episodes of collective madness. Often, these episodes have culminated in crises that brought even the greatest empires to their knees—such as the Mississippi Bubble or the South Sea Bubble. In other cases, they have devastated the lives …
As BIRN marks its 20th anniversary, here’s a diverse selection of investigations picked from two decades of in-depth reporting on one of Europe’s most complex and challenging regions. Original post Here
British far-right leader fails to land a punch with Albania’s prime minister in fiery row on social media over the number of Albanians held in UK jails. Original post Here
The Western military alliance’s new national spending benchmark on defence and security may cause problems for smaller and poorer NATO member states in the Balkans who cannot afford 5 per cent of GDP. Original post Here
Jerina Zaloshnja As Albania accelerates the formal process of European Union accession—opening negotiation chapters at a pace that seems to outstrip democratic reforms—it faces an urgent and unavoidable truth: a country cannot genuinely integrate into the EU without first building a functioning rule-of-law society. No volume of technical chapters opened …