2020 saw an increase in the number of reports of domestic violence, due in part, to the COVID-19 lockdown.
Women continued to fight to close the gender pay gap, to be empowered, to fight back against violence and gender-based discrimination.
Prime Minister Edi Rama found himself in a tug of war between China and the allures of Huawei and the US and Trump’s request that Albania recognises Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
In the year following the earthquake, thousands remained in tents while work to reconstruct damaged homes was slow.
In the race for the COVID-19 vaccine, Russia’s “Sputnik” vaccine raised a few eyebrows.
Exit took a trip to the former communist gulag of Spac that is falling into ruin as it’s neglected by the government.
Miners in Ballsh went on hunger strike to demand the government intervene and pay them what they are owed plus a salary. Eventually, a deal was brokered.
This year saw an increase in police violence against journalists. This included arrests, arbitrary detentions, assaults, damaged equipment, and making journalists sign statements they didn’t write as a condition of release.
Donald Trump and the governments of Serbia and Kosovo were nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for the agreements signed in the White House this year.
Prime Minister Edi Rama continued to be recognised for his art, and to a lesser extent, basketball, despite ongoing issues in the country.
Tirana was covered in even more concrete this year as Tirana Mayor Erion Veliaj handed out more permits to government favourites.
2020 was the year of the conspiracy theory as people dreamt up wild and wonderful ideas around Bill Gates, 5G and the COVID-19 vaccine.
Albania and North Macedonia still didn’t get a date for the First Intergovernmental Conference.
An incinerator scandal revealed that the government handed millions to companies to run incinerators that were not built, did not run, or were not burning any waste.
It was also revealed that businessmen involved in the incinerator companies, were linked to the higher echelons of government.
This year saw thousands of migrants transported through Albania in the hopes of reaching EU countries. Exit even managed to interview one of the traffickers.
It became mandatory to wear a mask in public and fines for those flouting the rules were applied to people’s utility bills.
Over 300,000 Albanians emigrated and around 50 a day sought asylum in the EU during 2020.
Albania spent more than two months on lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Albanian government agreed to partially refund the cost of COVID-19 treatment for those that were being treated at home.
Schools reopened in September as the government said they were not hot beds of COVID infection.
Despite previously banning casinos, Prime Minister Edi Rama had a change of heart and passed a law allowing casinos to set up in the centre of Tirana, including the site of the National Theatre.
Not only did drug cultivation continue in 2020, but it was reported that Albanians were travelling to other countries to set up cannabis operations.
Conflict erupted between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the contested region of Nagorno- Karabakh.
The PD and LSI were still not in parliament following the resignation of their mandates in 2019.
Richard Grenell was considered instrumental in the toppling of the Albin Kurti government.
Media freedom was again under attack, perhaps even more so than the year before.
Reports published indicated that illicit funds and money laundering were fuelling Tirana’s construction boom.
Sadly, Albania made little progress in combatting domestic violence or minority discrimination in 2020.
At least seven construction workers died at work during the year.
Protests erupted in Belarus over corruption and the rigged presidential elections. Thousands were arrested and imprisoned.
Edi Rama’s attempts to intervene and mediate in Belarus, failed.
Albania continued to be a source and transit country for illegal migration and people smuggling. It also registered high levels of citizens seeking asylum abroad.
The International Monitoring Operation ignored the presence of communists in the judiciary and were also criticised for allowing the appointment of Luan Daci who was later prosecuted by SPAK. Overall, justice reform is considered a failure by Albanians.
Former High Court Judge Ardian Dvorani, a former prosecutor during communism, was removed from his position but made it very clear he didn’t want to go.
Cases of COVID increased significantly during the Autumn and Winter, leading to restrictions including a curfew after 20:00.Scuffles between protestors and police were a big part of 2020 but in December, six days of protests resulted in hundreds of arrests and widespread claims of police brutality.
Albania, Serbia, and North Macedonia signed their Mini-Schengen agreement.
Female oil workers in Ballsh also joined the protest, remaining firm even when they received threats.
The President of Kosovo and several important political figures were charged by the Kosovo Specialist Chambers for war crimes during the Kosovo war.
