Monday Briefing from the Balkans: April 14, 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
BIRN Fact-Check: Is Albanian PM’s Promise of 2030 EU Accession Realistic?
Experts say the Albanian prime minister’s pledge to secure membership of the EU by 2030 is little more than a “fairytale” for the electorate ahead of elections in May. Original post Here
Italy Sends More Migrants to Albania After Change of Plan
A new shipload of migrants from Italy arrived in Albania on Friday after the Rome government changed the rules on the use of its detention centre in the Balkan country after previous legal setbacks to the offshoring project. Original post Here
Albania’s ‘Elite Tourism’ Pits David Against Goliath in Fight for Water
In southwestern Albania, a government plan to harness a village’s natural springs for the needs of a luxury tourism development has locals up in arms. Original post Here
Albanian TikTok Shutdown Tool Raises Privacy Concerns
Albania’s cyber security authority said it will use Deep Packet Inspection to enforce the government’s TikTok ban – but experts say the use of the technology has no legal basis in Albania and could be used for censorship. Original post Here
Albanian Institute for International Studies Invited as Institutional Partner at NATO Public Forum 2025
TIRANA TIMES Albania April 7,— The Albanian Institute for International Studies (AIIS) has been invited to serve as an Institutional Partner at the 2025 NATO Public Forum, set to take place on June 24-25 in The Hague during the NATO Summit. The invitation, extended by NATO’s Public Diplomacy Division, recognizes …
Arrested Albanian Mayor Accused of Running ‘Disturbing’ PR Campaign From Jail
Published wiretaps appear to show that Tirana mayor Erion Veliaj, who is facing corruption charges, has been running a publicity campaign using cronies in the mass media to target his perceived enemies in the justice system. Original post Here
Albania Failing to Eradicate Banned Pesticides from Agricultural Products
When it comes to banning pesticides, Albania takes its cue from the EU, yet substances deemed dangerous to human health are still being used years later. Original post Here
Trump’s New Tariffs and Their Impact on Albania and the Western Balkans
By Tirana Times Editorial Board TIRANA, April 4, 2025 Tirana Times — President Donald Trump’s sweeping new tariffs on global trade partners have sparked concern and debate across Europe and the Western Balkans, with Albania finding itself in an uneasy position—politically aligned with the United States but economically vulnerable and …
Beware of Stone Slogans – Ylljet Alicka’s Cautionary Tale
Rafaela Prifti Alicka’s storytelling in Stone Slogans lays one episode after another with cynical awareness and mindful deliberation to reveal the anguish and despair that has taken hold of an existence controlled by fear in communist Albania. After reading the first story eponymous with the book’s title Slogans in Stone, …
TIRANA TIMES, March 19, 2026 – The European Union’s enlargement debate has entered a new and unusually sensitive phase. What initially appeared to be a Brussels-driven discussion about how to accelerate Ukraine’s accession has quickly evolved into a broader political reckoning inside key member states over the future shape, pace, …
Ruling Socialist Party MPs aiming to support the US on the Iran war push through resolution – but opposition MPs boycott the vote they claim was staged ‘for the personal agenda of the Prime Minister’. Original post Here
by Professor Alaa Garad Tirana Times, March 17, 2026 – There are countries you visit, and there are countries you remember. Albania is rapidly becoming the latter. I began writing this article before travelling to Albania, drawing on the country’s remarkable tourism growth and the strategic opportunities it presents. Yet …
In the final years of Albania’s communist dictatorship, the authorities shot dozens of citizens trying to flee the country – and most of the attempts to bring the killers to justice have met obstruction and incompetence. Original post Here
The theft of a shipment of cocaine that was smuggled from Costa Rica to Sweden exposed the role of Albanian criminal groups in the international logistics of the drug trade, as well as the challenges in holding them accountable. Original post Here
A new cyberattack by Iran-linked Homeland Justice group targeting Albania’s parliament revealed the continued vulnerability of state digital systems and failures to implement basic security measures. Original post Here
Our selection of Premium stories this week takes a look at the changing fortunes, power dynamics and neighbourly relations of countries and actors in South-east Europe. Original post Here
TIRANA, March 12, 2026 – Albania’s Parliament, dominated by Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialist Party, has refused to authorize the arrest of former Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku, blocking a request by the Special Prosecution Against Corruption and Organized Crime, SPAK, and triggering one of the gravest confrontations yet between …
Survey of women who gave birth recently reveals a “pervasive yet often hidden crisis of obstetric violence” and a widespread dissatisfaction with medical care. Original post Here
Ruling Socialist Party uses its majority in parliament to vote down a prosecution request to lift former Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku’s immunity, allowing for her arrest. Original post Here