Albania Turns to Artificial Intelligence Amid Deep Corruption Crisis
TIRANA, Albania (Tirana Times, September 11, 2025 ) – Albania’s government has unveiled what it calls a bold step in its fight against endemic corruption: the appointment of the country’s first artificial intelligence “minister.” The AI system, named Diella, meaning “sun” in Albanian, has been presented by Prime Minister Edi …
Week in Review: Crackdowns, Bans and Enforced Silences
From attempts to neuter popular opposition to efforts to stifle the truth about mass protests, this week’s selection of Balkan Insight Premium stories explores the turbulent political landscape across the region. Original post Here
Albanian PM Unveils New Govt, Initiates Tirana Mayor’s Dismissal
Rama announces new cabinet and calls fresh elections for the Tirana mayoralty – seven months after Mayor Erion Veliaj was arrested on charges of corruption and money-laundering. Original post Here
Albania’s Public Broadcaster Struggling With ‘Catastrophic’ Debts, Head Says
The new head of RTSH, Eni Vasili, admits to BIRN that the company is facing a dire financial situation – after several contributors revealed they had not been paid for months. Original post Here
Pay Delays Deepen Concern over Albanian Public Broadcaster’s Finances
Outside programme contributors to Albania’s indebted public broadcaster say they haven’t paid for months and are in the dark as to when they will receive the money they are owed. Original post Here
China Index: Beijing’s Influence Waning in Balkans – Except Bosnia
The latest China Index analysis, published by a civil society network that includes BIRN, suggests that Beijing’s influence declined in most of the Balkans in 2024, with only Bosnia and Herzegovina bucking that trend. Original post Here
Clan Capitalism: Albania’s Privileged Investors and Their Seaside Villas
Instead of stimulating investment in agriculture or energy, critics say a 2015 ‘special law’ on strategic investment in Albania has simply made it easier and more profitable for certain privileged businesspeople to build luxury villas on the coast. Original post Here
Albania’s TikTok Ban Widely Flouted, Even by Allies of PM
Halfway into a 12-month ban on TikTok in Albania, anecdotal evidence suggests the prohibition is being widely flouted while the government remains silent on promised filters to weed out ‘undesirable’ content. Original post Here
Week in Review: Deadlocks, Unexpected Twists and New Approaches
Our selection of Premium stories this week looks at the challenges facing the region as the summer season winds down and business-as-usual resumes. Original post Here
Kosovo Court Imposes New Ban on Parliament Over Deputy Speaker Logjam
Court again bans MPs from forming institutions deriving from the February elections while it considers a complaint about the failure to elect a deputy speaker from the Serb community, as guaranteed in the constitution. Original post Here
Ruling Socialist Party MPs aiming to support the US on the Iran war push through resolution – but opposition MPs boycott the vote they claim was staged ‘for the personal agenda of the Prime Minister’. Original post Here
by Professor Alaa Garad Tirana Times, March 17, 2026 – There are countries you visit, and there are countries you remember. Albania is rapidly becoming the latter. I began writing this article before travelling to Albania, drawing on the country’s remarkable tourism growth and the strategic opportunities it presents. Yet …
In the final years of Albania’s communist dictatorship, the authorities shot dozens of citizens trying to flee the country – and most of the attempts to bring the killers to justice have met obstruction and incompetence. Original post Here
The theft of a shipment of cocaine that was smuggled from Costa Rica to Sweden exposed the role of Albanian criminal groups in the international logistics of the drug trade, as well as the challenges in holding them accountable. Original post Here
A new cyberattack by Iran-linked Homeland Justice group targeting Albania’s parliament revealed the continued vulnerability of state digital systems and failures to implement basic security measures. Original post Here
Our selection of Premium stories this week takes a look at the changing fortunes, power dynamics and neighbourly relations of countries and actors in South-east Europe. Original post Here
TIRANA, March 12, 2026 – Albania’s Parliament, dominated by Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialist Party, has refused to authorize the arrest of former Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku, blocking a request by the Special Prosecution Against Corruption and Organized Crime, SPAK, and triggering one of the gravest confrontations yet between …
Survey of women who gave birth recently reveals a “pervasive yet often hidden crisis of obstetric violence” and a widespread dissatisfaction with medical care. Original post Here
Ruling Socialist Party uses its majority in parliament to vote down a prosecution request to lift former Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku’s immunity, allowing for her arrest. Original post Here
Brussels has already gone cold on a scheme to allow some aspirant countries like Albania and Serbia second-tier membership – but that doesn’t mean that other creative approaches to European enlargement are off the table. Original post Here