Kruja, five arrested for setting up weed farm in army tunnel
Police officers have discovered this Friday a weed house inside an army tunnel in Krasta protected area of Kruja. Law enforcement revealed that five people have been arrested, two of whom are OSHEE employees, while two others have been declared wanted. During the control, 390 suspected cannabis sativa narcotic plants, …
Hearing on russian spy’s extradition postponed again
Court hearing against Russian citizen Svetlana Timofoeva, accused of espionage, has been postponed again this Friday, as the final conclusions will be discussed. Next session will be held on April 4 at 14:00, when the decision is expected to be taken. In August 2022, Timofeeva was arrested along with two …
Kruja’s mayor summoned at SPAK
Mayor of Kruja, Artur Bushi has appeared this Friday morning at the premises of the Special Prosecutor’s Office against Corruption and Organized Crime (SPAK). Against him have been filed several reports for abuse of office and violation of the equality of tenders. Bushi has presented himself as a person who …
PM Rama: Minimum salary 40,000 ALL
Prime Minister Edi Rama, during the meeting with businesses, also answered the critics that the increase in the minimum wage is done to win the elections. As Prime Minister Edi Rama pointed out, he said that the salary has not been increased within the campaign while adding that they do …
Amendments on Start-ups’ law approved
Minister for Entrepreneurship Protection in the Albanian government, Edona Bilali has spoken this Friday about some changes in the law of Start Ups, underlining that this is an innovation of a very good result of the investment that started last year by the government. Bilali also spoke about the construction …
Albania Lifts Bar on Democratic Party Running in Elections
A decision not to allow the opposition Democratic Party to compete in the local elections has been overturned, in a small victory for the divided party’s official leader, Enkelejd Alibeaj Original post Here
Albania Has Paused ‘Golden Passports’ Scheme, Rama Assures EU
Bowing to criticism from the EU, Albania’s PM on Thursday said Tirana was temporarily scrapping its ‘golden passports’ scheme, in a meeting with Commission vice president Josep Borrell. Original post Here
Meeting of Stabilization-Association/ Borrell in Tirana: Albania’s clear commitment to EU accession
The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, is today in Tirana where he will participate in the Stabilization-Association Council. Glad to start my day in Tirana where we will hold the Stabilisation & Association Council with PM @ediramaal – historically for the 1st …
Democrat accuses Minister of destroying cultural monuments
MP of the Democratic Party (DP), Ina Zhupa has accused this Thursday Minister of Culture, Elva Margariti of having destroyed monuments to build blocks of flats. In her speech in the Assembly, Zhupa also pointed out that the European Union has described Albania as a country with high risk for …
“Committed to integration”, Borrell: We agreed to withdraw from the golden passport scheme
The meeting of the Stabilization-Association Council was held today in Tirana. After the meeting, the representative of the EU for Foreign Policy and Security, Josep Borell, the Commissioner for Enlargement, Oliver Varhelyi and Prime Minister Edi Rama held a press conference. The Head of EU Diplomacy, Josep Borrell emphasized that …
Energy suppliers in southeastern Europe are heavily politicized and sometimes nefarious. The US can aid democratic stability through energy engagement. By David J. Kostelancik When Congress passed the Western Balkans Democracy and Prosperity Act as part of the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), it sent a clear signal: energy security in Southeastern …
New changes to the Albanian criminal code that only partially abolish defamation as an offence have been criticised by media freedom organisations, citing concerns over freedom of speech. Original post Here
Catch up on the weekend’s most important developments with Balkan Insight’s digest of news from countries across the region. Original post Here
Tirana Times, January 26, 2026 – Albania’s attempted entry into the Peace Board has become a revealing episode, not because of the significance of the initiative itself, but because of the way Albania’s leadership chose to stage and communicate it domestically. The Peace Board represents a new and ambitious international …
Tirana Times, January 25, 2026 – Albania has joined the Peace Board, a newly established international mechanism initiated by U.S. President Donald Trump, aimed at overseeing peace agreements and post-conflict stabilization efforts, with an initial focus on the Gaza Strip. The Peace Board was formally launched during the World Economic …
The crisis deepens as the government shields Deputy PM Balluku and a criminal network emerges in AKSHI Tirana Times, January 25, 2026 – Albania’s main opposition party returned to the streets on Saturday with a second national protest against Prime Minister Edi Rama, challenging the legitimacy of his fourth term …
Forty-one environmental organisations from 28 countries have called for a halt to the planned development by Jared Kushner of Albania’s Sazan island as a luxury resort, saying it threatens the valuable biodiversity of the area. Original post Here
Kosovo, Bulgaria and Turkey have signed the Board of Peace Charter, under Donald Trump’s auspices, but several other Balkan countries are still pondering whether to join the initiative. Original post Here
Balkan countries are continuing to sacrifice their remaining clean river stretches to development and pollution, a new assessment warns. Original post Here
The Bulgarian mystic’s doomy predictions continue to grab headlines in Albania and elsewhere – even though many seem fabricated and sometimes appear to serve Russian geopolitical narratives. Original post Here