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Challenges of Haradinaj’s Government

The demarcation with Montenegro, Association of Serb-majority Municipalities, transformation of the KSF into Armed Force of Kosovo and dialogue with Serbia, are some of the challenges that the Government headed by Ramush Haradinaj will have to face in 2018. Original post Here

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US State Department to Thaci, Haraidnaj and Veseli: Hands off the Specialist Chambers

​Following a statement of the US Embassy in Pristina, calling on Kosovo leaders not to repeat efforts to repeal the Law on Specialist Chambers and Specialist Prosecution Office, on Friday has reacted also the US Department of State. The US asks Kosovo President Hashim Thaci, PM Ramush Haradinaj and Speaker …

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Thaci, Veseli and Haradinaj plotting to abrogate special court law

Kosovo top leaders – President Hashim Thaci, Speaker of Assembly Kadri Veseli, and Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj, are continuing efforts to repeal the Law on Specialist Chambers and Specialist Prosecution Office, established to try alleged crimes committed by the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA). Kosovo leaders who were also senior commanders …

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President Thaci pardoned ex-KLA members convicted of killings an entire family

Kosovo President Hashim Thaci has signed a decree to pardon three former members of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) convicted of killing after the war in Kosovo in 2001 an entire family in the high-profile ‘Kiqina’ case. Original post Here

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US Embassy fierce reaction to Kosovo leaders decision to repeal war crimes court law

US Embassy to Pristina has reacted to initiative of Kosovo main leaders – President Hashim Thaci, Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj, and Speaker Kadri Veseli, warning them not to repeat efforts to abrogate the Law on Specailist Chambers and Specialist Prosecution Office, which will deal with alleged crimes committed by Kosovo …

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Albanian President on Orthodox Archbishop’s citizenship, UN Vote

Albanian President, Ilir Meta, said the decision to give Albanian citizenship to Archbishop Anastasios of Tirana, Durres and All Albania was fair. In an interview with the Tirana based TV Klan, President Meta called on citizens to divide the issue of origin on Yannoulatos from the issue of faith. “He …

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Vetevendosje MPs Albin Kurti and Donika Kadaj-Bujupi released from detention

Vetevendosje MPs, Albin Kurti and Donika Kadaj- Bujupi have been released today from the detention pending trial. Original post Here

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Ex-UN official criticizes five EU countries that don’t recognize Kosovo

Former UN high representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Christian Schwarz-Schilling, criticizes the fact that five out of 27 countries of the EU, have not recognized Kosovo. Original post Here

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Mogherini’s Office: Abrogating Specialist Chambers Law 'appalling'

Gazeta Express has asked on Monday the Office of the EU foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, to comment on the initiative of the Assembly of Kosovo to repeal the Law on Specialist Chambers and Specialist Prosecution Office, which will deal with alleged crimes of Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) during the …

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EU investigators: Airport is not safe; suspicions over financial misuse by Bekim Jashari

Investigators from the European Union Office for Criminal Intelligence (EUOCI) have drafted a special report on Pristina Airport, saying that the breach of security protocols with radar breaks and lack of generators are just one part of the problem, as they also raise suspicions about financial misuse in projects worth …

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Albania’s Anti-Corruption “Success”: A Manufactured Illusion

By Zef Preçi What kind of political system are we living in today? Even though we have a weak state, authoritarian tendencies in governance have become more pronounced, and in a synthesized way this is reflected in the increasing number of MPs of the ruling party from one mandate to …

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Week in Review: Surprises and Standoffs

As the year draws towards its end, our Balkan Insight Premium stories show that there is no shortage of political surprises, unexpected twists and new standoffs across the region. Original post Here

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How Albanians in America Lobbied for Freedom Back Home

Albanian-American writer Fron Nahzi’s new book explains how the Albanian diaspora used its newfound freedom in the United States to campaign for a range of nationalist causes. Original post Here

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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

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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 …

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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 …

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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 …

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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 …

News
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

News
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

News

Albania’s Anti-Corruption “Success”: A Manufactured Illusion

By Zef Preçi What kind of political system are we living in today? Even though we have a weak state, authoritarian tendencies in governance have become more pronounced, and in a synthesized way this is reflected in the increasing number of MPs of the ruling party from one mandate to …

News

Week in Review: Surprises and Standoffs

As the year draws towards its end, our Balkan Insight Premium stories show that there is no shortage of political surprises, unexpected twists and new standoffs across the region. Original post Here

News

How Albanians in America Lobbied for Freedom Back Home

Albanian-American writer Fron Nahzi’s new book explains how the Albanian diaspora used its newfound freedom in the United States to campaign for a range of nationalist causes. Original post Here

News

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

News

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 …

News

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 …

News

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 …

News

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 …

News

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

News

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