Rebuilt Housing Estate for Albanian Quake Survivors Hosts Just One Family
The earthquake that hit Albania in November 2019 left many families homeless. But a rural housing estate built to accommodate some of them remains almost empty due to problems with infrastructure and insecure terrain. Original post Here
Albania’s Political Absurdity:Doomsday – The Day Albania “Lost” Its Deputy PM
O tempora, o mores. After Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure and Energy Belinda Balluku faced criminal charges, and after the court suspended her from office and banned her from leaving the country, what one would normally expect is either her immediate resignation or her immediate dismissal by Prime …
The Limits of Spectacle Diplomacy in the UK–Albania Migration Row
The clash between Edi Rama and Shabana Mahmood over the fate of 700 Albanian families in the UK exposes a deeper truth about modern diplomacy: visibility is not the same as influence. When the Home Secretary singled out Albanian families while announcing sweeping asylum reforms, she was not improvising. She …
Albania: Between Reform Dynamics and Democratic Fragility
Elez Biberaj Thirty-five years after Albania’s emergence from one of Europe’s most repressive communist regimes, the country’s democratic trajectory remains emblematic of post-authoritarian transformation, reflecting the promise of political renewal while exposing the challenges of durable consolidation. In this context, the May 2025 parliamentary elections stand out as a test …
Opposition Rejects EU Commissioner’s “Free and Fair” Assessment of Elections
By Tirana Times Staff TIRANA, Albania , November 22, (Tirana Times). Albania’s main opposition party sharply criticized European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos for describing the country’s May 11 parliamentary elections as “free and fair,” arguing that her assessment contradicts the findings of international election monitors. In a statement delivered …
Week in Review: TikTokcracy, Labyrinths and an Anniversary
New leaders, old challenges, the threat of ‘TikTokracy’ and – not least – a look at the Dayton Peace Accords thirty years later, are all themes that preoccupy our selection of Premium stories this week. Original post Here
Albanian PM Condemns Deputy’s Suspension by Court as ‘Brutal Interference’
Edi Rama slated the court decision suspending Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku while she faces a graft probe – and threatened to take the matter to the Constitutional Court. Original post Here
Albanian Special Court Suspends Deputy Prime Minister: Source
The special anti-corruption court suspended Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku, who is under investigation for violating tender procedures, and barred her from travelling abroad, a source told BIRN. Original post Here
Deputy PM Balluku Suspended as SPAK Probe Widens
By Tirana Times Staff Tirana 20, November 2025.The suspension of Albania’s Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku by the Special Court Against Corruption and Organized Crime marks one of the most consequential judicial interventions against a senior government official since the creation of SPAK. The court accepted the Special Prosecution’s request …
Saudi Crown Prince’s Washington Visit Signals a New Middle East Order
By Dr. Arben Ramkaj The recent visit of Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to Washington may emerge as one of the defining diplomatic moments of this decade. Nothing about this trip was improvised. For weeks, senior Saudi officials travelled to the U.S. capital to prepare the ground, defense …
While addressing widely-held concerns about pretrial detention measures, a bill to rewrite a big chunk of Albania’s Code of Criminal Procedure has been met with consternation among judges, prosecutors and civil society groups worried it will ‘neuter’ a key anti-corruption body none too popular with PM Edi Rama. Original post …
Prime Minister Edi Rama said interest from businesses in the “Double Your Business” scheme has increased, with 32 loans worth around €5 million approved by October 5. Speaking at an event dedicated to the scheme, Rama said the program aims to support small and medium-sized businesses that have survived the …
Prime Minister Edi Rama presented the “Double Your Business” programme on Wednesday. He said the programme aims to support small and medium-sized businesses through financing at interest rates of up to 2%. According to Rama, around 400 businesses are currently in the application process. He also said that 32 loans …
Health centres across the country have begun administering seasonal flu vaccinations. The vaccine is provided free of charge to all groups at risk of developing severe forms of the illness, as well as to those who are in constant contact with the public and are therefore at greater risk of …
One year after Judge Astrit Kalaja was killed in a courtroom, the Union of Judges, the National Association of Judges and the Association of Prosecutors of the Republic of Albania are calling for the establishment of a dedicated police unit to ensure security at courts and prosecutors’ offices, as well …
Fifteen municipalities are expected to disappear under Albania’s proposed new territorial map. While the government presents the reform as a matter of efficiency and consolidation, communities that may lose municipal status fear that services will move farther away, local representation will weaken, and already shrinking peripheral areas will become even …
Members of the Parliamentary Committee on Citizens’ Initiatives, Cooperation and Institutional Oversight held a two-day working visit to Berlin. They focused on handling petitions and citizens’ initiatives, strengthening parliamentary oversight and deepening institutional cooperation. At the German Bundestag, the delegation attended a meeting of the Committee on Petitions and exchanged …
The Albanian parliamentary delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, led by Igli Hasani and including Bledar Çuçi, Damian Gjiknuri and Fatmir Mediu, attended the 109th Rose-Roth Seminar in Chisinau, Moldova, on October 6-7. The seminar, organized with Moldova’s Parliament, focused on NATO-Moldova cooperation, regional and Black Sea security, and the …
More than 200 Albanian law enforcement professionals earned certifications in 2026 after completing crime investigation training. The US Embassy in Tirana congratulated State Police crime specialists who completed the Level 1 Crime Investigation Course at the Security Academy. The US Department of Justice’s International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program (ICITAP) …
The Council of Ministers approved the founding act and statute of the state-owned company “Operator of State-Owned Companies” sh.a. during its meeting on Wednesday. The decision, proposed by the Minister of Economy and Innovation, also sets the company’s initial capital. The new company will start with ALL 100 million in …