Blog
News

Kosovo Parliament removes from the agenda a resolution on dialogue with Serbia

Members of Parliament of the opposition parties have walked out of plenary session of Parliament on Wednesday after it was decided to remove from the agenda voting of a draft resolution on dialogue with Serbia. Original post Here

Read More
News

Now we are told visa liberalisation is a political issue, says Kosovo Speaker of Parliament

Kosovo Parliament Speaker, Kadri Veseli, said that he expects Austria which currently hold EU’s presidency, to proceed to the EU Council the visa liberalisation for Kosovo citizens. Original post Here

Read More
News

Kosovo Customs confirms implementation of tariffs on Serbia’s goods

The Kosovo Customs have confirmed that they have already started implementing the Government’s decision to impose a customs tariff of ten per cent on products made in Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Original post Here

Read More
News

Presidents of Kosovo, Serbia to meet on Thursday in Brussels

President of Kosovo Hashim Thaci is expected to meet his Serbian counterpart Aleksandar Vucic on Thursday in Brussels. This was confirmed by the EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini’s office. Original post Here

Read More
News

Kosovo Government puts 10-percent tariff on imports from Serbia

Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj said on Tuesday that Kosovo would impose tariffs of 10 per cent for goods coming from Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Original post Here

Read More
News

Kosovo’s opposition asks urgent session of Parliament to discuss recognitions

Avdullah Hoti, chief of Parliamentary Group of the Democratic League of Kosovo, LDK, said that this opposition party supported also by Vetevendosje have submitted to the Parliament request on holding an urgent session of Parliament to discuss stagnation of Foreign Ministry to bring new recognitions for the country which declared …

Read More
News

Cold meeting of Austrian Chancellor with Kosovo’s PM – no mentioning of land swap

Austria’s Chancellor Sebastian Kurz has not mentioned the land swap idea following a meeting with Kosovo’s Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj who is openly criticising the proposal. Kurz who is visiting Kosovo today, in a joint press conference with President Hashim Thaci, said that Austria will accept exchange of territory and …

Read More
News

Kosovo’s ex-Ambassador to UK reacts to The Financial Times for supporting land swap proposal

Muhamet Hamiti, Associate Professor of English Literature at the University of Pristina and former Kosovo’s ambassador to the UK (2008-12) has reacted to an opinion published by the Financial Times, supporting the land swap idea between Kosovo and Serbia. Hamiti in his article which was published in Financial Times website …

Read More
News

Kurz in Kosovo promotes Serbian-Russian idea on land swap

Austrian Chancellor, Sebastian Kurz, who is visiting Pristina today at a joint press conference with Kosovo President, Hashim Thaci, said his country supports any agreement reached between Kosovo and Serbia, including the idea promoted by Serbia and Russia on correction of border or land swap, Gazeta Express reports. Original post …

Read More
News

Austrian Chancellor visits Kosovo

Austrian Chancellor, Sebastian Kurz, on Tuesday is paying an official visit to Kosovo. Original post Here

Read More
News
Albania’s Anti-Corruption “Success”: A Manufactured Illusion

By Zef Preçi What kind of political system are we living in today? Even though we have a weak state, authoritarian tendencies in governance have become more pronounced, and in a synthesized way this is reflected in the increasing number of MPs of the ruling party from one mandate to …

News
Week in Review: Surprises and Standoffs

As the year draws towards its end, our Balkan Insight Premium stories show that there is no shortage of political surprises, unexpected twists and new standoffs across the region. Original post Here

News
How Albanians in America Lobbied for Freedom Back Home

Albanian-American writer Fron Nahzi’s new book explains how the Albanian diaspora used its newfound freedom in the United States to campaign for a range of nationalist causes. Original post Here

News
Rebuilt Housing Estate for Albanian Quake Survivors Hosts Just One Family

The earthquake that hit Albania in November 2019 left many families homeless. But a rural housing estate built to accommodate some of them remains almost empty due to problems with infrastructure and insecure terrain. Original post Here

News
Albania’s Political Absurdity:Doomsday – The Day Albania “Lost” Its Deputy PM

O tempora, o mores. After Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure and Energy Belinda Balluku faced criminal charges, and after the court suspended her from office and banned her from leaving the country, what one would normally expect is either her immediate resignation or her immediate dismissal by Prime …

News
The Limits of Spectacle Diplomacy in the UK–Albania Migration Row

The clash between Edi Rama and Shabana Mahmood over the fate of 700 Albanian families in the UK exposes a deeper truth about modern diplomacy: visibility is not the same as influence. When the Home Secretary singled out Albanian families while announcing sweeping asylum reforms, she was not improvising. She …

News
Albania: Between Reform Dynamics and Democratic Fragility

Elez Biberaj Thirty-five years after Albania’s emergence from one of Europe’s most repressive communist regimes, the country’s democratic trajectory remains emblematic of post-authoritarian transformation, reflecting the promise of political renewal while exposing the challenges of durable consolidation. In this context, the May 2025 parliamentary elections stand out as a test …

News
Opposition Rejects EU Commissioner’s “Free and Fair” Assessment of Elections

By Tirana Times Staff TIRANA, Albania , November 22, (Tirana Times).  Albania’s main opposition party sharply criticized European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos for describing the country’s May 11 parliamentary elections as “free and fair,” arguing that her assessment contradicts the findings of international election monitors. In a statement delivered …

News
Week in Review: TikTokcracy, Labyrinths and an Anniversary

New leaders, old challenges, the threat of ‘TikTokracy’ and – not least – a look at the Dayton Peace Accords thirty years later, are all themes that preoccupy our selection of Premium stories this week. Original post Here

News
Albanian PM Condemns Deputy’s Suspension by Court as ‘Brutal Interference’

Edi Rama slated the court decision suspending Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku while she faces a graft probe – and threatened to take the matter to the Constitutional Court. Original post Here

News

Albania’s Anti-Corruption “Success”: A Manufactured Illusion

By Zef Preçi What kind of political system are we living in today? Even though we have a weak state, authoritarian tendencies in governance have become more pronounced, and in a synthesized way this is reflected in the increasing number of MPs of the ruling party from one mandate to …

News

Week in Review: Surprises and Standoffs

As the year draws towards its end, our Balkan Insight Premium stories show that there is no shortage of political surprises, unexpected twists and new standoffs across the region. Original post Here

News

How Albanians in America Lobbied for Freedom Back Home

Albanian-American writer Fron Nahzi’s new book explains how the Albanian diaspora used its newfound freedom in the United States to campaign for a range of nationalist causes. Original post Here

News

Rebuilt Housing Estate for Albanian Quake Survivors Hosts Just One Family

The earthquake that hit Albania in November 2019 left many families homeless. But a rural housing estate built to accommodate some of them remains almost empty due to problems with infrastructure and insecure terrain. Original post Here

News

Albania’s Political Absurdity:Doomsday – The Day Albania “Lost” Its Deputy PM

O tempora, o mores. After Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure and Energy Belinda Balluku faced criminal charges, and after the court suspended her from office and banned her from leaving the country, what one would normally expect is either her immediate resignation or her immediate dismissal by Prime …

News

The Limits of Spectacle Diplomacy in the UK–Albania Migration Row

The clash between Edi Rama and Shabana Mahmood over the fate of 700 Albanian families in the UK exposes a deeper truth about modern diplomacy: visibility is not the same as influence. When the Home Secretary singled out Albanian families while announcing sweeping asylum reforms, she was not improvising. She …

News

Albania: Between Reform Dynamics and Democratic Fragility

Elez Biberaj Thirty-five years after Albania’s emergence from one of Europe’s most repressive communist regimes, the country’s democratic trajectory remains emblematic of post-authoritarian transformation, reflecting the promise of political renewal while exposing the challenges of durable consolidation. In this context, the May 2025 parliamentary elections stand out as a test …

News

Opposition Rejects EU Commissioner’s “Free and Fair” Assessment of Elections

By Tirana Times Staff TIRANA, Albania , November 22, (Tirana Times).  Albania’s main opposition party sharply criticized European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos for describing the country’s May 11 parliamentary elections as “free and fair,” arguing that her assessment contradicts the findings of international election monitors. In a statement delivered …

News

Week in Review: TikTokcracy, Labyrinths and an Anniversary

New leaders, old challenges, the threat of ‘TikTokracy’ and – not least – a look at the Dayton Peace Accords thirty years later, are all themes that preoccupy our selection of Premium stories this week. Original post Here

News

Albanian PM Condemns Deputy’s Suspension by Court as ‘Brutal Interference’

Edi Rama slated the court decision suspending Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku while she faces a graft probe – and threatened to take the matter to the Constitutional Court. Original post Here