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
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
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
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
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 …
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
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 …
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 …
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
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 …
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