Blog
News

Cancel Parliament

What happened in Albania’s Parliament last week was more than a political skirmish. It was an assault on the very essence of parliamentarism. In a scene without precedent in the country’s 35 years of political pluralism — and arguably rare even in the wider history of parliamentary life — the …

Read More
News

Cleaning Up: Albania Plans New Waste Law After Incinerator Scandals

After a series of failed waste incineration projects, a new draft law foresees the creation of a powerful state waste agency that will fine polluters – but the potential cost worries some. Original post Here

Read More
News

Albanian Opposition Furious as AI ‘Minister’ Makes Parliament ‘Speech’

In a tense parliament session, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama gave the floor to the AI entity he has appointed as artificial intelligence minister, sparking an angry backlash from opposition MPs. Original post Here

Read More
News

‘Enemies of the State’: Concern in Albania, EU Over PM’s Criticism of Courts

In singling out judges and prosecutors for stinging personal criticism, Albania’s Edi Rama risks further eroding the democratic separation of powers, experts say. Original post Here

Read More
News

‘Enemies of the State’: Concern in Albania, EU Over PM’s Criticism of Courts

In singling out judges and prosecutors for stinging personal criticism, Albania’s Edi Rama risks further eroding the democratic separation of powers, experts say. Original post Here

Read More
News

Albania’s Headline-Grabbing AI ‘Minister’ is a Risky Innovation

Without legal frameworks and safeguards, the decision to appoint an AI entity as a ‘minister’ entrusted with sensitive tasks is ambitious – but fraught with danger. Original post Here

Read More
News

“Pashaliman Deal: Albania’s Transactional Politics and Western Patronage”

From D’Alema to Tony Blair, Rama’s reliance on influential Western figures fuels controversy. TIRANA, Albania (Tirana Times, September 15,2025) — The Albanian government’s decision to hand over part of the Pashaliman naval base to an Italian developer under criminal investigation has widened into a broader debate about Prime Minister Edi …

Read More
News

EU Countries Ban Albanian Farm Exports Amid Safety Scandal

TIRANA, Albania (Tirana Times, September 10, 2025 ) — Albania is grappling with an escalating food safety crisis as European Union member states including Croatia, Slovenia, Italy and Germany repeatedly block or destroy shipments of its agricultural products, citing dangerous levels of pesticides and heavy metals. The latest scandal unfolded …

Read More
News

Saudi Literature in Albanian: Tirana Times Publishes Three New Titles Ahead of Saudi Cultural Week in Tirana

Tirana Times Staff Albania, September 15, 2025, Tirana Times .With the opening of the Saudi Cultural Week in Tirana tomorrow, Tirana Times Publishing House is marking the occasion with the release of three new translations of contemporary Saudi novels into Albanian. The titles—Critical Condition of Patient “K” by Aziz Muhamed, …

Read More
News

In Albania, Christians and Muslims Unite to Protect Religious Heritage

In the Diber region in Albania’s north-east, Byzantine-era churches which have survived the ordeals of history are being protected by Christians, with a helping hand from their Muslim neighbours. Original post Here

Read More
News
National Opera and Ballet Theatre doubles cultural event revenue to ALL 19 million

TIRANA, August 27 – The National Opera, Ballet and Folk Ensemble Theatre increased its artistic activity during January-July 2026. Revenue from cultural events more than doubled to ALL 19 million, from ALL 9.44 million in the same period of 2025. The theatre staged 150 events in the first 7 months, …

News
Léon Rey, the Frenchman who discovered and documented Apollonia’s archaeological heritage

TIRANA, August 27 – Léon Rey, the French archaeologist who discovered and documented Apollonia’s archaeological heritage, was born on August 27, 1887. Following a 1923 agreement between the Albanian and French governments, Rey led the French archaeological mission in Albania. He directed excavations at Apollonia for 14 years. The work …

News
Property documents to be fully digitized by 2028, General Directorate of Archives, Rrokaj says

TIRANA, August 27 – Albania’s General Directorate of Archives has made digitization a priority in its efforts to preserve the country’s documentary heritage. The institution has also made its Study Room accessible online to the public. Meanwhile, General Director Auron Rrokaj said the archives had created a digitization centre and …

News
Kosova: Kurti and Abdixhiku move to specific names in presidential talks

TIRANA, August 27 – Albin Kurti and Lumir Abdixhiku have moved to specific names in talks on the next president of Kosova. The 2 leaders met for more than 2 hours as part of efforts to resolve the institutional crisis. Kurti said the meeting marked the first time they had …

News
More than 19,000 foreign-owned companies registered in Albania

TIRANA, August 27 – More than 19,000 companies with fully foreign or joint foreign capital were registered in Albania by July 2026, according to data from the Albanian Investment Development Agency and the National Business Centre. The data showed that 19,370 such companies operated in Albania. Of these, 16,093 had …

News
Albania ranks third among non-EU countries in Eurojust cooperation

TIRANA, August 27 – Albania ranked among the most active partners of the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation, Eurojust, in 2025. According to Eurojust’s 2025 Annual Report, Albania took part in 121 cases. As a result, it ranked third among non-EU countries, after Switzerland and the United Kingdom. …

News
Albanian Businessman Arrested in Information Agency Tenders Corruption Case

After being on the run for several months, businessman Ergys Agasi was arrested over his alleged involvement in a corruption scandal surrounding tenders for the national agency overseeing the development of state information systems. Original post Here

News
Threatening bomb emails sent to institutions, police find no explosives

TIRANA, August 27 – The State Police said several institutions in cities across Albania had received threatening emails this morning claiming that bombs had been placed inside the buildings. Police said officers had immediately begun checks at the institutions named in the threats. So far, they had found no bombs …

News
387 new recruits join Albania’s State Police

TIRANA, August 27 – A total of 387 new recruits officially joined Albania’s State Police after completing the General Patrol training course. The certification ceremony took place at the Security Academy, where Interior Minister Besfort Lamallari and State Police Director General Skënder Hita stressed the need to strengthen crime prevention …

News
Theth among the most visited destinations in the Albanian Alps

TIRANA, August 27 – Prime Minister Edi Rama shared images of Theth on social media and described the mountain area as one of the most visited destinations by domestic and foreign tourists during the summer season. Theth lies about 70 kilometres from Shkodër. In recent years, the area has become …

News

National Opera and Ballet Theatre doubles cultural event revenue to ALL 19 million

TIRANA, August 27 – The National Opera, Ballet and Folk Ensemble Theatre increased its artistic activity during January-July 2026. Revenue from cultural events more than doubled to ALL 19 million, from ALL 9.44 million in the same period of 2025. The theatre staged 150 events in the first 7 months, …

News

Léon Rey, the Frenchman who discovered and documented Apollonia’s archaeological heritage

TIRANA, August 27 – Léon Rey, the French archaeologist who discovered and documented Apollonia’s archaeological heritage, was born on August 27, 1887. Following a 1923 agreement between the Albanian and French governments, Rey led the French archaeological mission in Albania. He directed excavations at Apollonia for 14 years. The work …

News

Property documents to be fully digitized by 2028, General Directorate of Archives, Rrokaj says

TIRANA, August 27 – Albania’s General Directorate of Archives has made digitization a priority in its efforts to preserve the country’s documentary heritage. The institution has also made its Study Room accessible online to the public. Meanwhile, General Director Auron Rrokaj said the archives had created a digitization centre and …

News

Kosova: Kurti and Abdixhiku move to specific names in presidential talks

TIRANA, August 27 – Albin Kurti and Lumir Abdixhiku have moved to specific names in talks on the next president of Kosova. The 2 leaders met for more than 2 hours as part of efforts to resolve the institutional crisis. Kurti said the meeting marked the first time they had …

News

More than 19,000 foreign-owned companies registered in Albania

TIRANA, August 27 – More than 19,000 companies with fully foreign or joint foreign capital were registered in Albania by July 2026, according to data from the Albanian Investment Development Agency and the National Business Centre. The data showed that 19,370 such companies operated in Albania. Of these, 16,093 had …

News

Albania ranks third among non-EU countries in Eurojust cooperation

TIRANA, August 27 – Albania ranked among the most active partners of the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation, Eurojust, in 2025. According to Eurojust’s 2025 Annual Report, Albania took part in 121 cases. As a result, it ranked third among non-EU countries, after Switzerland and the United Kingdom. …

News

Albanian Businessman Arrested in Information Agency Tenders Corruption Case

After being on the run for several months, businessman Ergys Agasi was arrested over his alleged involvement in a corruption scandal surrounding tenders for the national agency overseeing the development of state information systems. Original post Here

News

Threatening bomb emails sent to institutions, police find no explosives

TIRANA, August 27 – The State Police said several institutions in cities across Albania had received threatening emails this morning claiming that bombs had been placed inside the buildings. Police said officers had immediately begun checks at the institutions named in the threats. So far, they had found no bombs …

News

387 new recruits join Albania’s State Police

TIRANA, August 27 – A total of 387 new recruits officially joined Albania’s State Police after completing the General Patrol training course. The certification ceremony took place at the Security Academy, where Interior Minister Besfort Lamallari and State Police Director General Skënder Hita stressed the need to strengthen crime prevention …

News

Theth among the most visited destinations in the Albanian Alps

TIRANA, August 27 – Prime Minister Edi Rama shared images of Theth on social media and described the mountain area as one of the most visited destinations by domestic and foreign tourists during the summer season. Theth lies about 70 kilometres from Shkodër. In recent years, the area has become …