Monday Briefing from the Balkans: March 23, 2025
Catch up on the weekend’s most important developments with Balkan Insight’s digest of news from countries across the region. Original post Here
Albania’s Controversial TikTok Ban Still Not Fully Working
A government order to ban TikTok to protect children from violent material came into force more than a week ago, but the mobile phone app for the video-sharing platform is still partially working in Albania. Original post Here
Albania, Croatia, and Kosovo Sign Defense Agreement: A New Military Alliance in the Balkans?
By Tirana Times TIRANA, Albania, March 19th— Albania, Croatia, and Kosovo have signed a joint declaration aimed at strengthening defense and security cooperation, marking a significant geopolitical development in the Western Balkans. The agreement, announced this week in Tirana, signals an increased level of military collaboration but stops short of …
News Analysis: A Geopolitical Shift in the Western Balkans?
The Trilateral Defense Agreement Between Albania, Croatia, and Kosovo The recent signing of a trilateral defense cooperation agreement between Albania, Croatia, and Kosovo marks a significant geopolitical development in the Western Balkans. This move, underscores growing security collaboration in a historically fragile region. While the agreement does not constitute a …
United Arab Emirates ‘s Expanding Influence in Albania – Financial and Political Concerns
By Tirana Times TIRANA, March 20th (Tirana Times ) The Albanian government has nearly doubled the projected cost of its “Smart City” initiative, now expected to cost $118.5 million—up from the initially planned $60 million—raising concerns over transparency, lack of competition, and the protection of personal data. The government announced …
Serbia Angered by Defence Pact Linking Croatia, Albania and Kosovo
A defence agreement between Croatia, Albania and Kosovo, calling for joint responses to common security challenges, has drawn a furious response from Serbia, which called it a threatening move. Original post Here
News or PR? In Edi Rama’s Albania, It’s Hard to Tell the Difference
Under Prime Minister Edi Rama and his Socialist Party, Albania’s government has been bombarding the media with carefully curated PR packages that air as ‘news’. Original post Here
EU’s Democratic Blind Spot in the Balkans
By Genc Pollo The European Union’s stance on democracy in the Balkans is increasingly difficult to defend. The recent visit of EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos to Albania is a glaring example of Brussels’ selective engagement, where stability appears to take precedence over genuine democratic governance. Despite mounting evidence of …
Albanian Court Upholds Detention of Tirana Mayor Amid Corruption Investigation
By Tirana Times TIRANA, Albania Venesday March 12th—A special appeals court in Albania has upheld the pretrial detention of Tirana Mayor Erion Veliaj, rejecting his request for a more lenient security measure. The ruling, reaffirmed on Monday by Judge Engert Pëllumbi, has sparked significant controversy, with Veliaj’s legal team and …
Albanian Orthodox Church Elects New Archbishop Following Unanimous Vote
The Holy Synod of the Albanian Orthodox Church has elected Metropolitan Joan Pelushi of Korça as the new Archbishop of Tirana, Durrës, and All Albania. The 69-year-old cleric succeeds Archbishop Anastasios Yannoulatos, marking a historic transition for the Church after more than three decades of leadership under the Greek- born …
Tirana Times PRISTINA, Kosovo December 29, 2025. Acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti secured another clear electoral victory in Kosovo’s repeat parliamentary election on Sunday, with his left wing Vetëvendosje movement significantly expanding its lead over rivals but once again failing to secure the parliamentary majority needed to govern alone, according …
Will Parliament Lift the Deputy Prime Minister’s Immunity? Tirana Times, December 28 th , 2025. Albania has entered one of the most serious institutional confrontations since the launch of its justice reform, as the Special Anti-Corruption Structure (SPAK) formally requested parliamentary authorization to arrest Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of …
TIRANA, December 26, 2025 – Albania’s decade-long construction boom, long portrayed as a sign of growth and urban renewal, is increasingly being scrutinized as a vehicle for laundering illicit capital. A new study by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, combined with years of investigative reporting and analysis by Tirana Times, points …
Tirana Times, 25 December, 2025 – On September 15, 2023, Ergys Agasi, 36, founded a company with a capital of 1 thousand lek (10 euros) with activity in the field of information technology. Under the name EA Solutions, the company had a rapid activity. In the balance sheet filed with …
As artificial intelligence reshapes economic competitiveness and state capacity, indexes like the Government AI Readiness Index serve not merely as technical rankings, but as indicators of national strategic priorities. In this sense, Saudi Arabia has moved decisively from regional ambition toward global relevance, even as the global hierarchy of AI …
Despite political tensions sparked by high-profile corruption cases, Klodjan Braho tells BIRN that his main priority will be to guarantee Albanians that “no one is above the law”. Original post Here
By Tirana Times Tirana, December 23, 2025 – Former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Defence Olta Xhaçka appeared on Tuesday at the premises of the Special Anti-Corruption and Organized Crime Structure (SPAK), where she remained for approximately two hours before leaving without making any statement to the media. Xhaçka declined to …
Tirana Times, December 22, 2025 – Tirana witnessed a major opposition-led protest on Saturday, as Albania’s main opposition force, the Democratic Party, together with allied groups, demanded the immediate resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama and his government. The demonstration was framed not as a routine political rally, but as a …
Supporters of the opposition Democratic Party demonstrated in Tirana against Edi Rama’s government after anti-corruption prosecutors indicted his deputy prime minister and raided officials at the National Information Agency. Original post Here
Security in the Western Balkans is no longer defined only by borders and armies, but by the strength of institutions, public trust and the ability to withstand modern pressure. In an interview with the Albanian Institute for International Studies (AIIS), Arjan Starova, former Albanian foreign minister and President of the …