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Kosovo, the best place for starting a business in 2019

Kosovo ranks as the best place in South-East Europe for starting a business in 2019, according to the latest Doing Business in 2019 report of the World Bank Group, released on Wednesday. Kosovo is ranked as 13th, followed by Moldova, 14th, Slovenia, 38th, and Serbia, 40th, according to the report. …

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Kosovo Security Force won’t replace KFOR, says PM Haradinaj

Kosovo Prime Minister, Ramush Haradinaj said the Kosovo Security Force (KSF) will not replace KFOR and is willing to cooperate with the NATO-led peacekeeping mission in Kosovo. Original post Here

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Austrian Chancellor Kurz to visit Kosovo

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz is set to visit Kosovo next week. On Tuesday he will meet President Hashim Thaci and Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj to discuss dialogue with Serbia and the EU perspective of Kosovo. Original post Here

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Opposition says Kosovo’s President wants a deal with Serbia without US, EU

Members of Kosovo Parliament have convened on Wednesday to discuss in an extraordinary session a resolution proposed by the opposition parties in an effort to stop President Hashim Thaci from discussing potential land swap with Serbia. Original post Here

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Kosovo’s Thaci met EU Commissioner Hahn in Minsk

Kosovo President Hashim Thaci, who is in Belarus attending the Munich Security Conference (MSC) met on Wednesday the EU Commissioner for Enlargement Johannes Hahn. Original post Here

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Head of EU Office urges Kosovo leaders to stop giving timelines on visas

The Head of the EU Office in Kosovo, Nataliya Apostolova, called on political leaders to stop giving deadlines on lifting visas for Kosovo citizens. Original post Here

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Specialist Prosecutor meets Kosovo’s Minister of Justice

Minister of Justice, Abelard Tahiri has received on Tuesday Jack Smith, the Specialist Prosecutor of the special court investigating war crimes in Kosovo. The US chief prosecutor in his first visit to Kosovo, in addition to Minister of Justice has met also international organizations, and EU representatives in Kosovo. Original …

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Kosovo Prime Minister urges political parties to unite on dialogue with Serbia

Kosovo’s Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj called on all political parties to find a common language when it comes to the dialogue with Serbia. He made the comments ahead of an urgent Parliament session expected to be held on Wednesday when MPs are expected to discuss setting red lines in the …

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Serbia promises Kosovo Serbs €50 million investments

The Government of Serbia is expected to invest over 50 million Euro in the Serb inhabited areas in Kosovo by 2020, Serbia’s Prime Minister has said on Tuesday, according to media in Belgrade. Original post Here

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Kosovo bus stoned in Serbia

A Kosovo bus had been attacked while transiting the territory of Serbia on Monday evening and one window was broken, but no one was injured. Original post Here

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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 …

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Europe Tightens the Fight Against Corruption, Albania at a Crossroad

By Zef Preçi, Executive Director of ACER As Albania presents itself as closer than ever to the European Union, a troubling contradiction has emerged in its domestic legal and political debate. While the EU is moving decisively toward tougher and more harmonized criminal rules against corruption, Albania is simultaneously discussing …

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Housing Boom Prices Out Albanians

Allegations of money laundering in construction and claims of informal power networks, including the case of Ergys Agasi, fuel concerns over a distorted housing market Tirana Times, TIRANA, 05 January 2026 – For many middle income families in Tirana, buying an apartment has shifted from a realistic life goal to …

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In Albania, Women Often Quit Local Councils to Make Way for Men

Democracy and the rights of women are being undermined in Albania by the practice of filling electoral candidate lists with women, only to have them resign en masse once the results are in and cede their seats to men. Original post Here

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Monday Briefing from the Balkans: January 5, 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

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Balkan States Give Divided Reactions to US Strike on Venezuela

Albania and Kosovo applauded the Trump administration’s military operation against Venezuela’s regime and the ousting of Nicolas Maduro, while other states in the region initially remained silent or called for calm and restraint. Original post Here

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Roaming Like at Home and the Western Balkans

By Genc Pollo Tirana, 02 January 2026 – Today’s decision by the European Union to grant “roaming like at home” to Ukraine and Moldova deserves praise. It is a practical citizen-centered step that immediately lowers costs improves connectivity and makes Europe tangible in everyday life. Yet the non inclusion of …

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Albania in the EU Fast Lane – Accelerating Without Democratising?

Tirana’s EU accession process is running in top gear – but worryingly, there’s no sign this is being matched with a democratic deepening at home. Original post Here

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Albania 2026: Power Under Investigation

As Albania enters 2026, the country stands at a political and institutional crossroads shaped decisively by the shocks of 2025. What initially appeared to be a year of electoral routine and managed stability evolved instead into the most serious confrontation between executive power and the justice system since the launch …

News
Saudi Arabia’s Yemen Action: Between Deterrence, Diplomacy, and Regional Responsibility

The latest Saudi action in Yemen should be understood not as escalation for its own sake, but as part of a broader strategic approach that combines deterrence with diplomacy, aimed at safeguarding regional stability and preserving internationally recognized state authority. Riyadh’s move comes in response to concrete security concerns arising …

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

Europe Tightens the Fight Against Corruption, Albania at a Crossroad

By Zef Preçi, Executive Director of ACER As Albania presents itself as closer than ever to the European Union, a troubling contradiction has emerged in its domestic legal and political debate. While the EU is moving decisively toward tougher and more harmonized criminal rules against corruption, Albania is simultaneously discussing …

News

Housing Boom Prices Out Albanians

Allegations of money laundering in construction and claims of informal power networks, including the case of Ergys Agasi, fuel concerns over a distorted housing market Tirana Times, TIRANA, 05 January 2026 – For many middle income families in Tirana, buying an apartment has shifted from a realistic life goal to …

News

In Albania, Women Often Quit Local Councils to Make Way for Men

Democracy and the rights of women are being undermined in Albania by the practice of filling electoral candidate lists with women, only to have them resign en masse once the results are in and cede their seats to men. Original post Here

News

Monday Briefing from the Balkans: January 5, 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

Balkan States Give Divided Reactions to US Strike on Venezuela

Albania and Kosovo applauded the Trump administration’s military operation against Venezuela’s regime and the ousting of Nicolas Maduro, while other states in the region initially remained silent or called for calm and restraint. Original post Here

News

Roaming Like at Home and the Western Balkans

By Genc Pollo Tirana, 02 January 2026 – Today’s decision by the European Union to grant “roaming like at home” to Ukraine and Moldova deserves praise. It is a practical citizen-centered step that immediately lowers costs improves connectivity and makes Europe tangible in everyday life. Yet the non inclusion of …

News

Albania in the EU Fast Lane – Accelerating Without Democratising?

Tirana’s EU accession process is running in top gear – but worryingly, there’s no sign this is being matched with a democratic deepening at home. Original post Here

News

Albania 2026: Power Under Investigation

As Albania enters 2026, the country stands at a political and institutional crossroads shaped decisively by the shocks of 2025. What initially appeared to be a year of electoral routine and managed stability evolved instead into the most serious confrontation between executive power and the justice system since the launch …

News

Saudi Arabia’s Yemen Action: Between Deterrence, Diplomacy, and Regional Responsibility

The latest Saudi action in Yemen should be understood not as escalation for its own sake, but as part of a broader strategic approach that combines deterrence with diplomacy, aimed at safeguarding regional stability and preserving internationally recognized state authority. Riyadh’s move comes in response to concrete security concerns arising …