Blog
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

Kosovo dialling code implementation postponed

The full implementation of Kosovo’s telephone code, +383, was due to begin on 31 October, but the deadline was extended until 31 October following requests by mobile and fixed telephony operators Vala and Ipko. Again the deadline has not been met with the mobile operators asking for extension of the …

Read More
News
U.S. designates Muslim Brotherhood branches as terrorist organizations

Saudi Arabia welcomes Washington’s decision and reaffirms joint stance against extremism Tirana Times, January, 14, 2026 – The United States has officially designated branches of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon as terrorist organizations, marking a major shift in Washington’s approach toward political Islamist movements. The announcement immediately drew …

News
Washington suspends visas for Albania

Albania included among weak or failing states despite being a NATO member Tirana, Tirana Times, 14 January 2026 – Washington’s decision to suspend U.S. visa processing for Albania, effective January 21 and for an indefinite period, marks one of the strongest diplomatic signals sent to Tirana in years. Albania has …

News
NATO Values as Security Infrastructure: Evidence From Student Conversations

In the Western Balkans, “security” is rarely an abstract concept. It is encountered as a lived condition, shaped by memory, geography and a persistent awareness that stability can erode when trust is thin. Security, in this context, is not discussed only in strategic documents or institutional language, but reasoned through …

News
‘Fiscal Peace’: Albanian Amnesty for Tax-Dodging Businesses Branded Unfair and Opaque

Albania’s government is poised to waive business tax debts more than a decade old, as part of what it says is a reset in relations between the tax authorities and businesses. Critics say it is unfair on those who have played by the rules. Original post Here

News
Monday Briefing from the Balkans: January 12, 2026

Catch up on the weekend’s most important developments with Balkan Insight’s digest of news from countries across the region. Original post Here

News
How Albanian Organized Crime Conquered Europe’s Cocaine Market

On a locked down November afternoon in 2020, as Europe grappled with Covid 19 restrictions, two Albanian men based in Belgium exchanged a handful of encrypted messages. Deciphered years later from the Sky ECC platform, their words captured a watershed moment in Europe’s cocaine trade. A shipment measured not in …

News
Port-to-Port: How Albanians Conquered the European Cocaine Market

BIRN reporters trace the rise of Albanian crime gangs to the top of the European cocaine trafficking ladder, from remote parts of Paraguay to European Union ports. Original post Here

News
Albania in 2026: Battles With Anti-Graft Prosecutors Risk Slowing EU Progress

Political polarisation and government pressure on the judiciary – sparked by investigations of top politicians – could hinder Albania’s rapid progress towards European Union membership. Original post Here

News
Heavy Rains Cause Evacuations and Discontent in Albania

Dramatic situation reported in several towns, while some locals complain of being abandoned. Original post Here

News
Albania Under Water: A Return to a Hobbesian State of Nature

TIRANA TIMES, December 6, 2025 – Albania is once again under water. Torrential rains over the past days have triggered massive flooding across almost the entire country, exposing not only the fragility of urban infrastructure but, more fundamentally, the long-term failure of governance. From the northern plains to the southern …

News

U.S. designates Muslim Brotherhood branches as terrorist organizations

Saudi Arabia welcomes Washington’s decision and reaffirms joint stance against extremism Tirana Times, January, 14, 2026 – The United States has officially designated branches of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon as terrorist organizations, marking a major shift in Washington’s approach toward political Islamist movements. The announcement immediately drew …

News

Washington suspends visas for Albania

Albania included among weak or failing states despite being a NATO member Tirana, Tirana Times, 14 January 2026 – Washington’s decision to suspend U.S. visa processing for Albania, effective January 21 and for an indefinite period, marks one of the strongest diplomatic signals sent to Tirana in years. Albania has …

News

NATO Values as Security Infrastructure: Evidence From Student Conversations

In the Western Balkans, “security” is rarely an abstract concept. It is encountered as a lived condition, shaped by memory, geography and a persistent awareness that stability can erode when trust is thin. Security, in this context, is not discussed only in strategic documents or institutional language, but reasoned through …

News

‘Fiscal Peace’: Albanian Amnesty for Tax-Dodging Businesses Branded Unfair and Opaque

Albania’s government is poised to waive business tax debts more than a decade old, as part of what it says is a reset in relations between the tax authorities and businesses. Critics say it is unfair on those who have played by the rules. Original post Here

News

Monday Briefing from the Balkans: January 12, 2026

Catch up on the weekend’s most important developments with Balkan Insight’s digest of news from countries across the region. Original post Here

News

How Albanian Organized Crime Conquered Europe’s Cocaine Market

On a locked down November afternoon in 2020, as Europe grappled with Covid 19 restrictions, two Albanian men based in Belgium exchanged a handful of encrypted messages. Deciphered years later from the Sky ECC platform, their words captured a watershed moment in Europe’s cocaine trade. A shipment measured not in …

News

Port-to-Port: How Albanians Conquered the European Cocaine Market

BIRN reporters trace the rise of Albanian crime gangs to the top of the European cocaine trafficking ladder, from remote parts of Paraguay to European Union ports. Original post Here

News

Albania in 2026: Battles With Anti-Graft Prosecutors Risk Slowing EU Progress

Political polarisation and government pressure on the judiciary – sparked by investigations of top politicians – could hinder Albania’s rapid progress towards European Union membership. Original post Here

News

Heavy Rains Cause Evacuations and Discontent in Albania

Dramatic situation reported in several towns, while some locals complain of being abandoned. Original post Here

News

Albania Under Water: A Return to a Hobbesian State of Nature

TIRANA TIMES, December 6, 2025 – Albania is once again under water. Torrential rains over the past days have triggered massive flooding across almost the entire country, exposing not only the fragility of urban infrastructure but, more fundamentally, the long-term failure of governance. From the northern plains to the southern …