Freedom of Information Still Impeded in Western Balkans, Report Warns
Despite robust legal frameworks, public institutions in the region are finding new ways to obstruct transparency, a new BIRN report finds. Original post Here
Fish Market in Vlora to Modernize Fisheries and Boost the Blue Economy
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Andis Salla and Vlora Mayor Brunilda Mersini visited the new facility after the Municipality of Vlora took ownership. The government invested €1.5 million in the project. The market covers 1,300 square meters and includes 15 cold storage rooms. It connects directly to the Fishing …
Albanian Parliament Approves New Law and Several Resolutions
Albania’s Parliament approved a new draft law and several resolutions during a plenary session on Tuesday. Lawmakers passed a law that strengthens official controls on food and animal feed safety, animal health and welfare, plant health, and plant protection products. The measure received 74 votes in favor. Parliament also approved …
Albania Strengthens Naval Industry Training for Young People
Albania has signed a new cooperation memorandum to strengthen skills and employment for young people in the naval industry. The state company KAYO, the Italian company FINCANTIERI, and the Industrial School “Pavarësia” in Vlora signed the agreement at the Pashaliman Naval Base. The deal focuses on internships, training programs, and …
Deadly Minibus Crash on Tirana–Durrës Highway Leaves One Dead and Several Injured
A serious accident occurred on Tuesday on the Tirana–Durrës highway, when a minibus on the Berat–Tirana line left the road and overturned. Emergency teams responded immediately. Police, firefighters, and ambulance crews arrived at the scene and rescued passengers while providing first aid to the injured. Authorities first reported two deaths …
Albania Officials React to Fatal Tirana–Durrës Highway Accident
Deputy Prime Minister Albana Koçiu has expressed condolences after a tragic accident on the Tirana–Durrës highway left one person dead and several others injured. In a statement on social media, Koçiu described the news as “shocking” and offered her deepest condolences to the family of the victim. She also expressed …
Reinier de Graaf Explains Reinier de Graaf
Tirana Times, June 30, 2026 – When Tirana Times published Reinier de Graaf’s open letter from The Albanian Files, it did so because the text had already become one of the most discussed and controversial passages of the book. The letter, written in March 2025, appeared to call, in deliberately provocative …
Albania Moves to Revive Naval Industry Through Fincantieri Partnership
On June 30, 2026, Albania signed a cooperation memorandum in Vlora with Italy’s Fincantieri, one of Europe’s leading shipbuilders, in a move aimed at reviving naval production at the Pashaliman base and strengthening the country’s defence industrial capacity. The memorandum, signed between the Albanian state company KAYO, Fincantieri and the …
Are Europe’s Star Architects Helping Launder Albania’s Criminal Economy?
The Albanian Files suggests that international architecture may have served not only as design, but as a prestigious façade for opaque money, captured institutions and one-man rule. Tirana Times, June 29, 2026 – A glossy architectural volume meant to celebrate Albania’s transformation has unexpectedly become one of the most revealing …
TKOBAP Polyphony Group Performs at Piccolo Opera Festival 2026 in Italy
The Albanian iso-polyphony group from the National Ensemble of Folk Songs and Dances (TKOBAP) performed at the Piccolo Opera Festival 2026 in Italy. As a result, Albanian traditional music reached an international audience. The group presented Albania’s rich iso-polyphonic heritage, which is recognized by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage. In …
Prime Minister Edi Rama and his wife, Linda Rama, arrived at the official reception and dinner hosted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and First Lady Emine Erdoğan during the NATO Summit in Ankara. Rama met President Erdoğan and the First Lady before posing for an official photograph. He also …
European Parliament rapporteur for Kosovo Riho Terras urged acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti to show statesmanship by building a functional governing coalition and securing the election of the country’s next president. Terras made the appeal after meeting Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) leader Lumir Abdixhiku and Alliance leader Ardian Gjini. …
Foreign Minister Ferit Hoxha met Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand on the sidelines of the 36th NATO Summit in Ankara to discuss expanding bilateral cooperation. The two ministers agreed to strengthen political dialogue and create new opportunities for cooperation, with a particular focus on the economy and trade. Hoxha highlighted …
Foreign Minister Ferit Hoxha met with Qubad Talabani, Deputy Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, and his delegation to discuss expanding cooperation between Albania and the region. During the meeting, the two sides exchanged views on recent regional developments and explored new opportunities for cooperation in areas of …
First Deputy Governor of the Bank of Albania, Holta Zaçaj, participated in the meeting of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank Constituency, held on July 6–7, 2026, in Lisbon, Portugal. During the high-level gathering, central bank governors, finance ministers, and senior representatives from member countries discussed the latest …
European Parliament Rapporteur for Kosovo Riho Terras said Kosovo’s future belongs in the European Union. However, he stressed that the country must continue reforms to achieve membership. “We are working in this direction,” Terras said after meetings with Kosovo’s political leaders in Pristina. During his visit, Terras met with Acting …
By Marco Rubio Two hundred and fifty years ago today, in a brick hall in Philadelphia, our forefathers declared their independence from the most powerful empire on earth. They were not fools. They knew exactly what the words on that parchment would mean. They knew that in that moment, they …
Tirana Times, July 07, 2026 – The next NATO Summit, where the leaders of Allied member states gather annually, will take place on July 7–8, 2026, at the Presidential Complex in Ankara. It will be NATO’s 36th summit and the second hosted by Türkiye, after the Istanbul Summit of 2004. …
Albania’s Concrete Economy: How Construction Became the Country’s Dominant Growth Model Tirana Times, July 7, 2026 – A booming construction sector has made Albania an outlier in Europe, but behind the cranes and luxury towers lies a deeper story of weak productivity, distorted investment and suspected flows of illicit money. …
Edi Rama defends concert planned for Saturday by controversial US rapper, saying it will transform Tirana for a day into a ‘global capital of music’. Original post Here