Blog
News

Tensions in the North/ Kosovo: Violence will not prevail, Serbia is responsible

The Presidency of Kosovo has reacted regarding the tensions in the north of the country. Spokesman Blerim Vela has stated that the illegal and criminal structures of Serbia have received orders to escalate the situation. Serbia’s illegal and criminal structures in north Kosovo have received orders to escalate the situation …

Read More
News

Archive Documents Reveal Dissent Did Exist in Communist Albania

Reports written by Albanian academics who were allowed to travel abroad and official documents detailing students’ nonconformist tendencies show that some citizens were critical of the country’s authoritarian communist-era regime. Original post Here

Read More
News

Yuri Kim meeting with the chairman of the Constitutional Court: US continues to support judicial reform

Yuri Kim meets with the chairman of the Constitutional Court: US continues to support judicial reform. The American ambassador, Yuri Kim, held a meeting with the chairman of the Constitutional Court, Holta Zaçaj. The American diplomat congratulated the judge on her new position and reconfirmed the US support for judicial …

Read More
News

The Assembly approves salary increase for the administration, 130,000 employees will benefit

The Assembly has approved the salary increase for the public administration. In the session held this Thursday, the decision was approved with a vote in favor of 97 deputies, while 3 voted against. 130,000 employees who are part of the public administration will benefit from this decision. The focus of …

Read More
News

30-year-old prosecuted for attempting to bribe Kakavija border police officers

A 30-year-old man has been criminally prosecuted this Thursday after trying to bribe a Border Police employee in Kakavija. Based on information released by police, the 30-year-old man had put 50 EUR inside his passport so that the police would allow him to cross the border irregularly after he had …

Read More
News

Draft on ministers, MPs’ salary increase in parliament’s agenda

The focus of today’s plenary session in the Assembly will be the discussion and voting of the draft law that provides for the increase in salaries for the public administration, including MPs and ministers. The green light for the wage increase was given by the Economy Commission at Tuesday’s meeting. …

Read More
News

Unemployment has dropped, Rama: We are making a historic increase in wages

Prime Minister Edi Rama estimates that the Albanian economy is growing. In his speech at the plenary session in the Assembly, Rama said that consumption has increased, while unemployment has decreased. According to the head of the government, the government is making a historic increase in salaries. “The simple truth …

Read More
News

Albanian TV Election Coverage Unfairly Favoured Big Parties, Monitoring Shows

Data from media monitoring shows that during the recent local election campaign, TV networks gave little airtime to smaller parties and so violated the legal requirements on balanced reporting. Original post Here

Read More
News

Missing little boy found drowned in Dibra

A 13-year-old boy, who was reported missing on Wednesday evening by his brother, was found drowned in Dibra.   According to the police, the minor was found after about two hours of searching in the lake of Shumbat village and is suspected to have accidentally drowned. From the preliminary examination, no …

Read More
News

The juridical police officer is arrested for corruption

Two officers of the Judicial Police in Elbasan are accused of corruption. They, together with another person, have received in some cases from two people, irregular monetary benefits, in monetary amounts as well as other material benefits, to perform actions related to their duty and function. For one of the …

Read More
News
Week in Review: Boom and Bust

From politics to the media business, high expectations often go hand-in-hand with disappointments big and small, as our selection of Balkan Insight Premium stories this week shows. Original post Here

News
Battling Graft Charges, Tirana Mayor Stages Online Charm Offensive

When Tirana mayor and Socialist Party rising star Erion Veliaj was arrested on corruption charges, he lashed out against the judiciary. Now he’s running a social media PR campaign to charm the public. Can it work? Original post Here

News
BIRN Reality Check: Albanian Prosecutors Still Can’t Identify ‘Hazardous Waste’ Cargo

In October 2024, a shipment of containers with suspected hazardous waste was returned to Albania. But prosecutors haven’t yet managed to analyse their contents because they say they’re unable to find the necessary laboratory services. Original post Here

News
Expensive Lesson: Italy Weighs Costs of Offshore Migrant Centres in Albania

Already repurposed due to legal challenges, Italy’s asylum centres in Albania cost more than originally planned and much more than similar facilities in Italy itself, offering a potential lesson for other European governments tempted to take the same route. Original post Here

News
NATO Summit in The Hague Reaffirms Alliance Unity

Tirana announced as host city for 2027 NATO Summit The Hague, June 25, 2025 — NATO leaders convened today in The Hague for a pivotal summit that reaffirmed the Alliance’s unity amid intensifying global security threats and adopted a transformative new commitment to defense investment, resilience, and innovation. In a …

News
Activists Condemn Secret Migrant Deportations from Albania

Activists have condemned as “illegal” the deportation back to Egypt of five people from an Italian-run migrant holding camp in Albania. Original post Here

News
Albania Aligns Firmly with U.S. in Iran Standoff, Reflecting Decades-Long Strategic Alliance

June 23, 2025 – Tirana Albania has expressed unequivocal support for the United States following its militar.y strikes on three key nuclear sites in Iran, marking a rare moment of bipartisan consensus among the ruling Socialist majority and the opposition Democratic Party. Prime Minister Edi Rama and former Prime Minister …

News
Iran Hacks Tirana Municipality in Retaliation Over MEK

By Tirana Times TIRANA, Albania  20 June, 2025— A sophisticated Iranian cyber group has claimed responsibility for a major attack on the official website of Tirana Municipality, disabling online services and disrupting the city’s public registration system for kindergartens and nurseries, authorities confirmed Friday. The hacking group “Homeland Justice,” believed …

News
Week in Review: SLAPPs, Surveillance and Smuggling Networks

Our selection of Premium stories this week takes a look at the region’s slow-burning political crises, smuggling networks, digital surveillance and a whole lot more. Original post Here

News
The Israel – Iran conflict in our perspective

by Genc Pollo President of the Pan-Europe Albania   Former Minister and MP 18 June 2025 In the Albanian public debate on the armed conflict between Israel and Iran, a prevailing notion has been the contrast between Israel, a democracy where state power is under constitutional constraints and accountable to …

News

Week in Review: Boom and Bust

From politics to the media business, high expectations often go hand-in-hand with disappointments big and small, as our selection of Balkan Insight Premium stories this week shows. Original post Here

News

Battling Graft Charges, Tirana Mayor Stages Online Charm Offensive

When Tirana mayor and Socialist Party rising star Erion Veliaj was arrested on corruption charges, he lashed out against the judiciary. Now he’s running a social media PR campaign to charm the public. Can it work? Original post Here

News

BIRN Reality Check: Albanian Prosecutors Still Can’t Identify ‘Hazardous Waste’ Cargo

In October 2024, a shipment of containers with suspected hazardous waste was returned to Albania. But prosecutors haven’t yet managed to analyse their contents because they say they’re unable to find the necessary laboratory services. Original post Here

News

Expensive Lesson: Italy Weighs Costs of Offshore Migrant Centres in Albania

Already repurposed due to legal challenges, Italy’s asylum centres in Albania cost more than originally planned and much more than similar facilities in Italy itself, offering a potential lesson for other European governments tempted to take the same route. Original post Here

News

NATO Summit in The Hague Reaffirms Alliance Unity

Tirana announced as host city for 2027 NATO Summit The Hague, June 25, 2025 — NATO leaders convened today in The Hague for a pivotal summit that reaffirmed the Alliance’s unity amid intensifying global security threats and adopted a transformative new commitment to defense investment, resilience, and innovation. In a …

News

Activists Condemn Secret Migrant Deportations from Albania

Activists have condemned as “illegal” the deportation back to Egypt of five people from an Italian-run migrant holding camp in Albania. Original post Here

News

Albania Aligns Firmly with U.S. in Iran Standoff, Reflecting Decades-Long Strategic Alliance

June 23, 2025 – Tirana Albania has expressed unequivocal support for the United States following its militar.y strikes on three key nuclear sites in Iran, marking a rare moment of bipartisan consensus among the ruling Socialist majority and the opposition Democratic Party. Prime Minister Edi Rama and former Prime Minister …

News

Iran Hacks Tirana Municipality in Retaliation Over MEK

By Tirana Times TIRANA, Albania  20 June, 2025— A sophisticated Iranian cyber group has claimed responsibility for a major attack on the official website of Tirana Municipality, disabling online services and disrupting the city’s public registration system for kindergartens and nurseries, authorities confirmed Friday. The hacking group “Homeland Justice,” believed …

News

Week in Review: SLAPPs, Surveillance and Smuggling Networks

Our selection of Premium stories this week takes a look at the region’s slow-burning political crises, smuggling networks, digital surveillance and a whole lot more. Original post Here

News

The Israel – Iran conflict in our perspective

by Genc Pollo President of the Pan-Europe Albania   Former Minister and MP 18 June 2025 In the Albanian public debate on the armed conflict between Israel and Iran, a prevailing notion has been the contrast between Israel, a democracy where state power is under constitutional constraints and accountable to …