Monday Briefing from the Balkans: December 2, 2024
Catch up on the weekend’s most important developments with Balkan Insight’s digest of news from countries across the region. Original post Here
Albanians ‘Deliberately Forgetting’ Horrors of Communist Past, Writer Says
In his new book, political scientist Ermal Hasimja says Albanians have deliberately decided to ‘forget’ the criminal nature of the country’s former communist regime, as a kind of defence mechanism. Original post Here
Freed Albanian Opposition Leader Demands New Govt Ahead of Elections
After being freed from house arrest, the opposition Democratic Party leader Sali Berisha demanded the formation of a new ‘technical’ caretaker government to steer the country ahead of 2025 elections. Original post Here
Robert Budina: Filmmaker Whose Risky Escape from Albania Shaped His Work
The son of an army general in communist Albania, Robert Budina was part of the student protests that helped bring down the regime, only to flee to Italy on an overcrowded boat. The experience has informed his work ever since. Original post Here
Albania Drug Trafficking Probe Targets Top Policeman, Ex-Judge, Journalists
Prosecutors are investigating an Elbasan-based organised crime group that trafficked drugs from Latin America and whose suspected members and associates include a former judge, a senior police official and two journalists. Original post Here
Hundreds of Albanians Still Waiting for Homes, Five Years After Earthquake
The state promised everyone left homeless by a 2019 earthquake a new home in 2020. Some are still living in squalor. Original post Here
THE HISTORY OF AN ART GALLERY
ON THE OCCASION OF 10th ANNIVERSARY OF GALERIAKALO With the exhibition titled PROMENADE organized last week, FONDACIONI KALO ART and GALERIAKALO celebrated their 10th anniversary. A selected number of artworks by Masters, and other well-established artists were displayed on that occasion. GALERIAKALO was founded in November 2014 to support …
Environment Paying Price of Albania’s Failure to Rehabilitate after Mining
A law requiring mining companies to rehabilitate the environment after their operations shut down is being almost completely ignored, and the state has failed to step in. Original post Here
Albania joins SEPA, marking tangible step in economic integration with the EU
TIRANA, Nov. 22, 2024 – Albania’s application to join the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) has been approved, and the country will join on Jan. 1, 2025, alongside Montenegro, the central bank announced Thursday. SEPA membership is particularly important because it is a rare tangible measure of EU integration at …
Albania Condemns ‘Passivisation’ of Albanians’ Addresses in South Serbia
Albania joined Kosovo in criticising Serbia’s practice of marking ethnic Albanians’ addresses as ‘inactive’, describing it as a “violation of human rights and standards for the protection of minorities”. Original post Here
Albania’s Special Prosecution has issued 20 arrest warrants and seized over 100 million euros in assets as it maps out alleged drug money flowing into major construction projects across Albania, including a resort promoted by relatives of Donald Trump. Original post Here
Albania hosted the 42nd EYCA Conference and General Assembly for the first time. The event focused on international youth cooperation, the exchange of ideas, and stronger youth policies. The conference brought together representatives from different countries to discuss opportunities and challenges facing young people. Among the participants were Erjona Ismaili …
Toni Gogu met with Mattias Guyomar in Strasbourg. During the meeting, the two officials discussed the implementation of the European Convention on Human Rights. They also reviewed the execution of rulings issued by the European Court of Human Rights and the progress of Albania’s justice reform. Furthermore, Gogu described the …
Silvio Gonzato took part in an event marking the 75th anniversary of the 1951 Refugee Convention. UNHCR Albania, Albania’s Ministry of Interior, and other partners organized the event in Tirana. During his remarks, Gonzato stressed that the Refugee Convention remains a cornerstone of international protection for people fleeing persecution, violence, …
Justice Minister Toni Gogu took part in the informal meeting of the Council of Europe’s Justice Ministers. He spoke during a panel on the role of financial intelligence in combating money laundering and financial crime. During his remarks, Gogu stressed that the main challenge today is not collecting financial information. …
European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos said that Albania has recently made significant progress on its path toward European Union membership. According to Kos, Albania met the Interim Benchmarks Assessment Report (IBAR) requirements on the rule of law. As a result, the country can now begin the process of closing …
Andreas Schieder said the European Parliament will reaffirm Albania’s strong commitment to the European Union. Speaking during a plenary session of the European Parliament, Schieder praised Albania’s progress in the accession process. He noted that the country opened all negotiation clusters within just 13 months. In addition, Albania recently achieved …
Kosovo and the European Commission held the annual meeting of the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) Monitoring Committee. The meeting focused on the implementation of EU financial and technical support for Kosovo. In addition, participants reviewed reforms that support Kosovo’s path toward European integration. Since 2007, the European Union has …
Ferit Hoxha met with Günter Krichbaum during his visit to Luxembourg. The two officials discussed Albania’s path toward European Union membership. They also reviewed the current momentum of the EU enlargement process. Furthermore, Hoxha said they exchanged views on the opportunities created by the renewed focus on enlargement across Europe. …
In Albania, real civic society is no longer in donor-funded conference rooms. It is in the streets. By Mrika Temali Tirana Times, June 16, 2026 – Thirty-five years after the fall of communism, Albania offers a bitter paradox. The European Union, Western governments and international foundations have spent millions indeed …