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Parliament approves regulation on expelling MPs for up to two months

This Thursday’s plenary session in the Parliament of Albania started about 20 minutes late, but lasted only 8 minutes. Tensions accompanied the session from its start, where MPs from Sali Berisha’s Foltorja clashed with the Guard of the Republic, which did not allow them to enter the hall. Although they …

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Head of SP’s group accuses opposition of causing chaos to protect Berisha

Head of Socialist Party’s (SP) parliamentary group, Bledi Çuçi spoke about this Thursday’s tensions in the Assembly. During his speech in a communication to the media, Cuci said that everything is done only to protect former Prime Minister Berisha. According to him, the opposition’s request for the establishment of Investigative …

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EU-Western Balkans Summit, Rama: Albania was evaluated positively

Prime Minister Edi Rama at the press conference clarified details about yesterday’s meeting held in Brussels. He said that the European Union has expressed a positive assessment of the work that Albania has done on its way to membership. “The perspective of our countries towards EU was discussed, the process …

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Moving car shot with gunfire in Tirana, noboby injured

A 42-year-old man reported to the police that a person shot a gun at the car he was driving. No one was injured from the shooting, while the incident took place on “Don Bosco” street. The investigative group has started work to clarify the alleged case. Therefore, the 42-year-old, Rudolf …

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Senior citizen dies in Lushnja house fire

A house was engulfed in flames during the early hours of this Thursday morning in Lushnja, where an elderly person lost his life as a result. according to the police, the 82-year-old man died. The investigative team is working to fully clarify the causes of the incident. /abcnews.al […] Read …

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Begaj to meet Bulgarian counterpart in Sofia

President of the Republic of Albania, Bajram Begaj, will pay an official visit to Sofia this Wednesday, at the invitation of the President of the Republic of Bulgaria, Rumen Radev. Agenda foresees the “head-to-head” meeting of the presidents of the two countries, the meeting of the respective delegations, as well …

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Romanian drug dealer arrested in Shkodra

An 18-year-old from Romania was arrested by the Shkodra police, as announced this Wednesday morning. According to Police, the young man Nicolae-Ionut Deliver sold doses of cannabis in different neighborhoods of the city of Shkodra. As a result of the “Tempulli” mega-operation, the 18-year-old was caught in the “Qemal Stafa” …

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Two Rinas officers arrested on corruption charges

Police Supervision Agency (PSA) has arrested two employees at the Rinas Police Station this Wednesday. According to the police, the two cops are suspected of being involved in ‘Passive corruption of persons exercising public functions’, carried out in collaboration. Detained policemen are: – Inspector, Ardit Doçi, 31 years old, with …

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SPAK seeks seizure of man involved in prosecutor’ assassination attempt

Special Prosecution against Corruption and Organized Crime (SPAK) has requested this Wednesday the confiscation of the assets of Redjan Rraja, involved in former prosecutor Arjan Ndoja’s assassination attempt. It is about nine assets, including two “Audi-A8” luxury vehicles. SPAK has requested the confiscation of all assets in his name or …

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In depth: Balkan countries play Russian roulette with mosquitoes

Headache, fever and muscle aches. A fellow citizen had the feeling that a cold was bothering his body. He was almost certain that the seasonal flu had taken over when he felt nauseous, but he expected to get over it. The usual days for the common cold have passed and …

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NATO Values as Security Infrastructure: Evidence From Student Conversations

In the Western Balkans, “security” is rarely an abstract concept. It is encountered as a lived condition, shaped by memory, geography and a persistent awareness that stability can erode when trust is thin. Security, in this context, is not discussed only in strategic documents or institutional language, but reasoned through …

News
‘Fiscal Peace’: Albanian Amnesty for Tax-Dodging Businesses Branded Unfair and Opaque

Albania’s government is poised to waive business tax debts more than a decade old, as part of what it says is a reset in relations between the tax authorities and businesses. Critics say it is unfair on those who have played by the rules. Original post Here

News
Monday Briefing from the Balkans: January 12, 2026

Catch up on the weekend’s most important developments with Balkan Insight’s digest of news from countries across the region. Original post Here

News
How Albanian Organized Crime Conquered Europe’s Cocaine Market

On a locked down November afternoon in 2020, as Europe grappled with Covid 19 restrictions, two Albanian men based in Belgium exchanged a handful of encrypted messages. Deciphered years later from the Sky ECC platform, their words captured a watershed moment in Europe’s cocaine trade. A shipment measured not in …

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Port-to-Port: How Albanians Conquered the European Cocaine Market

BIRN reporters trace the rise of Albanian crime gangs to the top of the European cocaine trafficking ladder, from remote parts of Paraguay to European Union ports. Original post Here

News
Albania in 2026: Battles With Anti-Graft Prosecutors Risk Slowing EU Progress

Political polarisation and government pressure on the judiciary – sparked by investigations of top politicians – could hinder Albania’s rapid progress towards European Union membership. Original post Here

News
Heavy Rains Cause Evacuations and Discontent in Albania

Dramatic situation reported in several towns, while some locals complain of being abandoned. Original post Here

News
Albania Under Water: A Return to a Hobbesian State of Nature

TIRANA TIMES, December 6, 2025 – Albania is once again under water. Torrential rains over the past days have triggered massive flooding across almost the entire country, exposing not only the fragility of urban infrastructure but, more fundamentally, the long-term failure of governance. From the northern plains to the southern …

News
Europe Tightens the Fight Against Corruption, Albania at a Crossroad

By Zef Preçi, Executive Director of ACER As Albania presents itself as closer than ever to the European Union, a troubling contradiction has emerged in its domestic legal and political debate. While the EU is moving decisively toward tougher and more harmonized criminal rules against corruption, Albania is simultaneously discussing …

News
Housing Boom Prices Out Albanians

Allegations of money laundering in construction and claims of informal power networks, including the case of Ergys Agasi, fuel concerns over a distorted housing market Tirana Times, TIRANA, 05 January 2026 – For many middle income families in Tirana, buying an apartment has shifted from a realistic life goal to …

News

NATO Values as Security Infrastructure: Evidence From Student Conversations

In the Western Balkans, “security” is rarely an abstract concept. It is encountered as a lived condition, shaped by memory, geography and a persistent awareness that stability can erode when trust is thin. Security, in this context, is not discussed only in strategic documents or institutional language, but reasoned through …

News

‘Fiscal Peace’: Albanian Amnesty for Tax-Dodging Businesses Branded Unfair and Opaque

Albania’s government is poised to waive business tax debts more than a decade old, as part of what it says is a reset in relations between the tax authorities and businesses. Critics say it is unfair on those who have played by the rules. Original post Here

News

Monday Briefing from the Balkans: January 12, 2026

Catch up on the weekend’s most important developments with Balkan Insight’s digest of news from countries across the region. Original post Here

News

How Albanian Organized Crime Conquered Europe’s Cocaine Market

On a locked down November afternoon in 2020, as Europe grappled with Covid 19 restrictions, two Albanian men based in Belgium exchanged a handful of encrypted messages. Deciphered years later from the Sky ECC platform, their words captured a watershed moment in Europe’s cocaine trade. A shipment measured not in …

News

Port-to-Port: How Albanians Conquered the European Cocaine Market

BIRN reporters trace the rise of Albanian crime gangs to the top of the European cocaine trafficking ladder, from remote parts of Paraguay to European Union ports. Original post Here

News

Albania in 2026: Battles With Anti-Graft Prosecutors Risk Slowing EU Progress

Political polarisation and government pressure on the judiciary – sparked by investigations of top politicians – could hinder Albania’s rapid progress towards European Union membership. Original post Here

News

Heavy Rains Cause Evacuations and Discontent in Albania

Dramatic situation reported in several towns, while some locals complain of being abandoned. Original post Here

News

Albania Under Water: A Return to a Hobbesian State of Nature

TIRANA TIMES, December 6, 2025 – Albania is once again under water. Torrential rains over the past days have triggered massive flooding across almost the entire country, exposing not only the fragility of urban infrastructure but, more fundamentally, the long-term failure of governance. From the northern plains to the southern …

News

Europe Tightens the Fight Against Corruption, Albania at a Crossroad

By Zef Preçi, Executive Director of ACER As Albania presents itself as closer than ever to the European Union, a troubling contradiction has emerged in its domestic legal and political debate. While the EU is moving decisively toward tougher and more harmonized criminal rules against corruption, Albania is simultaneously discussing …

News

Housing Boom Prices Out Albanians

Allegations of money laundering in construction and claims of informal power networks, including the case of Ergys Agasi, fuel concerns over a distorted housing market Tirana Times, TIRANA, 05 January 2026 – For many middle income families in Tirana, buying an apartment has shifted from a realistic life goal to …