Blog
News

Socialists leading with number of municipal council’s members in Durres

Socialist Party (SP) has gained an initial advantage regarding the number of Durres Municipality Council’s members that have been voted during the May 14 local elections. Central Elections Commission’s (CEC) data showed that in the municipality of Durres, 12 of the 342 polling stations for the municipal councils have been …

Read More
News

Tirana, man arrested for extorting EUR 70,000 from businessman

A 52-year-old man has been handcuffed this Tuesday by Tirana Police, on the charge of taking large sums of money from businessmen through fraud. Within the coded operation “Architect”, it became possible to arrest 52-year-old Shpëtim Hida, who was caught in the act of deceiving a businessman to extort him …

Read More
News

Assault rifles found in Vau i Dejës’ house

Police officers located and seized this Tuesday inside a house in Vau i Dejës two firearms, which are suspected to have been used in criminal events. Law enforcement said that the weapons were found hidden in an apartment, which was used by a citizen with the initials P.GJ., who was …

Read More
News

Veliaj wins 3rd mandate as Tirana’s mayor by huge difference

Erion Veliaj has won a third mandate as Mayor of the Albanian capital, Tirana in the local elections of 14 May 2023. Veliaj has deeply defeated his opponent of the “Together We Win” coalition, Belind Kelliçi, with a difference of 60 thousand votes. From the official data of the Central …

Read More
News

Teen stabbed in Kamza school knife fight

A 15-year-old has been stabbed this Tuesday noon in the outer premises of a school in Kamza area of Tirana. According to the police, the incident took place outside the “Ahmet Zogu” school. During the physical clash, citizen K. Gj., 18 years old, stabbed a 15-year-old with a cutting tool. …

Read More
News

Analysis: With low turnout, local elections give insights into grim demographic forecasts

Migration and demographics playing increasing role in Albanian elections TIRANA, May 16, 2023 – Albania’s latest administrative elections marked the lowest turnout ever for a competitive voting process in post-communism, with only about one in three eligible voters casting votes.  The number of people who had the right to vote …

Read More
News

Elections/ Celibashi: According to the law, the result will be announced today at 22:00

If everything will goes well and the law will be respected, today at 22:00 we will have the result for the local elections for mayors. The statement comes from the head of the CEC, Ilirjan Celibashi, at the first press conference today. ” According to the law, by 10:00 p.m. …

Read More
News

For Tourism-Dependent Balkan States, Foreign Workers Fill Growing Gap

Tourism is a mainstay of the Croatian, Montenegrin and Albanian economies. But growing labour shortages mean hotels, restaurants and bars are increasingly looking abroad for staff. Original post Here

Read More
News

Share Your Experience: School Violence in South Eastern Europe

We would like to hear from parents, legal guardians, and teachers willing to share their experiences to help our upcoming investigation into school violence in Southeast Europe. Original post Here

Read More
News

Ruling Socialists Defeat Divided Opposition in Albanian Local Polls

Preliminary data from Albania’s Central Election Commission shows that the ruling Socialist Party is leading in the majority of municipalities in the country, including the capital Tirana. Original post Here

Read More
News
“Eqrem Çabej” University Expands International Cooperation

Eqrem Çabej University in Gjirokastër is expanding its cooperation with international universities, creating more opportunities for academic exchanges and training for students and academic staff. Currently, the institution has around 100 cooperation agreements with universities across Europe and the United States. Rector Jaho Cana emphasized that most agreements involve countries …

News
Chinese Billionaire Dies in Car Accident in Xibrakë

Li Jianhong, chairman and president of Xinjiang Grand Scape Group, has died in a car accident in Albania during a business trip, Chinese media report. The incident occurred on Monday on the Librazhd–Elbasan road, near Xibrakë. According to reports, the 60-year-old died at the scene, while six other people were …

News
$6 Billion LNG Deal with the U.S., Rama: A Step Toward Energy Independence

Prime Minister Edi Rama said in his podcast “Flasim” that the $6 billion agreement with the United States and Greecewill enable Albania to be supplied with liquefied natural gas (LNG) for 20 years. Rama emphasized that this investment is expected to create a stable foundation for diversifying the country’s energy …

News
Historical Heritage Attracts Thousands of Tourists

Elbasan is gaining increasing attention from tourists, becoming one of the country’s key destinations. During the past month, more than 3,500 tourists have visited the city, mainly on day trips. The most frequented sites remain the Elbasan Castle and the Ethnographic Museum of Elbasan, which offer insight into the city’s …

News
Frozen Courtesies: Albania–Greece Relations Between Rhetoric and Reality

Strategic ambitions, unresolved disputes, and a relationship caught between political narratives and diplomatic inertia. Tirana Times, May 02, 2026 – The latest encounter between Edi Rama and Kyriakos Mitsotakis at the Delphi Economic Forum was meant to signal momentum in a relationship long burdened by history. Instead, it exposed a …

News
EU Integration as Compass: Albania’s Foreign Policy Vision in a Shifting World

By Ferit Hoxha Anyone who knows even a little about Albania is aware that the cornerstone of Albanian foreign policy in the post-communist period has been a clear orientation toward the Euro-Atlantic world, as a guarantee of democracy, security, and the country’s development, and as an expression of our aspiration …

News
“Jerusalem Post” highlights Albania as one of Europe’s most attractive tourism destinations

TIRANA, May 1 – The Jerusalem Post presents Albania as an emerging tourism hotspot in Europe. It highlights its mix of culture, history, coastline, and mountain landscapes. Located in the Balkans next to Greece, the country increasingly positions itself as an alternative to more crowded Mediterranean destinations. In recent years, …

News
Week in Review: Faint Hopes and No Regrets

In a world that increasingly finds itself turned upside down, our selection of Balkan Insight Premium stories this week tries to make sense of the past, present and future. Original post Here

News
“The EU is a blessing for us,” Rama: Europe is too slow, it must speed up

Prime Minister Edi Rama presented 13 of his drawings at the premises of the Embassy of Italy in Berlin, as part of an event linked to his personal exhibition “Chrysalizing”, currently being held at Société Gallery. The exhibition also includes sculptures created by Rama, who has long been known for …

News
Democratic Party launches statute reform, amendment calendar approved

At a meeting held this Friday, the Working Group for amendments to the Statute of the Democratic Party of Albaniaapproved both the working methodology and a detailed calendar for the process of reviewing the party’s founding document. According to the decision taken, the process will extend throughout the month of …

News

“Eqrem Çabej” University Expands International Cooperation

Eqrem Çabej University in Gjirokastër is expanding its cooperation with international universities, creating more opportunities for academic exchanges and training for students and academic staff. Currently, the institution has around 100 cooperation agreements with universities across Europe and the United States. Rector Jaho Cana emphasized that most agreements involve countries …

News

Chinese Billionaire Dies in Car Accident in Xibrakë

Li Jianhong, chairman and president of Xinjiang Grand Scape Group, has died in a car accident in Albania during a business trip, Chinese media report. The incident occurred on Monday on the Librazhd–Elbasan road, near Xibrakë. According to reports, the 60-year-old died at the scene, while six other people were …

News

$6 Billion LNG Deal with the U.S., Rama: A Step Toward Energy Independence

Prime Minister Edi Rama said in his podcast “Flasim” that the $6 billion agreement with the United States and Greecewill enable Albania to be supplied with liquefied natural gas (LNG) for 20 years. Rama emphasized that this investment is expected to create a stable foundation for diversifying the country’s energy …

News

Historical Heritage Attracts Thousands of Tourists

Elbasan is gaining increasing attention from tourists, becoming one of the country’s key destinations. During the past month, more than 3,500 tourists have visited the city, mainly on day trips. The most frequented sites remain the Elbasan Castle and the Ethnographic Museum of Elbasan, which offer insight into the city’s …

News

Frozen Courtesies: Albania–Greece Relations Between Rhetoric and Reality

Strategic ambitions, unresolved disputes, and a relationship caught between political narratives and diplomatic inertia. Tirana Times, May 02, 2026 – The latest encounter between Edi Rama and Kyriakos Mitsotakis at the Delphi Economic Forum was meant to signal momentum in a relationship long burdened by history. Instead, it exposed a …

News

EU Integration as Compass: Albania’s Foreign Policy Vision in a Shifting World

By Ferit Hoxha Anyone who knows even a little about Albania is aware that the cornerstone of Albanian foreign policy in the post-communist period has been a clear orientation toward the Euro-Atlantic world, as a guarantee of democracy, security, and the country’s development, and as an expression of our aspiration …

News

“Jerusalem Post” highlights Albania as one of Europe’s most attractive tourism destinations

TIRANA, May 1 – The Jerusalem Post presents Albania as an emerging tourism hotspot in Europe. It highlights its mix of culture, history, coastline, and mountain landscapes. Located in the Balkans next to Greece, the country increasingly positions itself as an alternative to more crowded Mediterranean destinations. In recent years, …

News

Week in Review: Faint Hopes and No Regrets

In a world that increasingly finds itself turned upside down, our selection of Balkan Insight Premium stories this week tries to make sense of the past, present and future. Original post Here

News

“The EU is a blessing for us,” Rama: Europe is too slow, it must speed up

Prime Minister Edi Rama presented 13 of his drawings at the premises of the Embassy of Italy in Berlin, as part of an event linked to his personal exhibition “Chrysalizing”, currently being held at Société Gallery. The exhibition also includes sculptures created by Rama, who has long been known for …

News

Democratic Party launches statute reform, amendment calendar approved

At a meeting held this Friday, the Working Group for amendments to the Statute of the Democratic Party of Albaniaapproved both the working methodology and a detailed calendar for the process of reviewing the party’s founding document. According to the decision taken, the process will extend throughout the month of …