Balkan Countries ‘Failing to Enforce Freedom of Information Laws’: Report
Freedom of Information laws in the six Western Balkan countries may look robust, but public institutions all too often find ways to obstruct transparency, a new BIRN report has found. Original post Here
Monday Briefing from the Balkans: June 30, 2025
Catch up on the weekend’s most important developments with Balkan Insight’s digest of news from countries across the region. Original post Here
Leaving Albania, the Country’s Youth Seek a More Stable Future
An inability to plan for the future is driving many young, educated Albanians to leave their homeland; experts say the government will have to address the trend sooner or later. Original post Here
Week in Review: Boom and Bust
From politics to the media business, high expectations often go hand-in-hand with disappointments big and small, as our selection of Balkan Insight Premium stories this week shows. Original post Here
Battling Graft Charges, Tirana Mayor Stages Online Charm Offensive
When Tirana mayor and Socialist Party rising star Erion Veliaj was arrested on corruption charges, he lashed out against the judiciary. Now he’s running a social media PR campaign to charm the public. Can it work? Original post Here
BIRN Reality Check: Albanian Prosecutors Still Can’t Identify ‘Hazardous Waste’ Cargo
In October 2024, a shipment of containers with suspected hazardous waste was returned to Albania. But prosecutors haven’t yet managed to analyse their contents because they say they’re unable to find the necessary laboratory services. Original post Here
Expensive Lesson: Italy Weighs Costs of Offshore Migrant Centres in Albania
Already repurposed due to legal challenges, Italy’s asylum centres in Albania cost more than originally planned and much more than similar facilities in Italy itself, offering a potential lesson for other European governments tempted to take the same route. Original post Here
NATO Summit in The Hague Reaffirms Alliance Unity
Tirana announced as host city for 2027 NATO Summit The Hague, June 25, 2025 — NATO leaders convened today in The Hague for a pivotal summit that reaffirmed the Alliance’s unity amid intensifying global security threats and adopted a transformative new commitment to defense investment, resilience, and innovation. In a …
Activists Condemn Secret Migrant Deportations from Albania
Activists have condemned as “illegal” the deportation back to Egypt of five people from an Italian-run migrant holding camp in Albania. Original post Here
Albania Aligns Firmly with U.S. in Iran Standoff, Reflecting Decades-Long Strategic Alliance
June 23, 2025 – Tirana Albania has expressed unequivocal support for the United States following its militar.y strikes on three key nuclear sites in Iran, marking a rare moment of bipartisan consensus among the ruling Socialist majority and the opposition Democratic Party. Prime Minister Edi Rama and former Prime Minister …
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, …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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. …
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
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 …
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 …
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 …