The US Special Envoy to the Balkans, Gabriel Escobar, has also criticised the Albanian government’s plan for a fiscal amnesty, saying any rule must be in line with international standards and that concerns have been shared with the state. Under the proposal, any foreign citizen or Albanian can deposit up to €2 million in non-declared
After Kosovo and Serbia reached a landmark deal concerning ID documents for citizens from each respective country, travelling to the other on Saturday (27 August), Albanian politicians have widely supported the news. While Prishtina was originally set to introduce an additional administrative requirement for Serbs entering the country, similar to that required of Kosovo citizens
Hundreds of people protested outside the Albanian Ministry of the Interior and the Prime Minister’s Office in Tirana on Thursday (4 August) night after a police officer with a previous charge for abuse of office killed a seven-year-old girl while driving a motor boat in a swimmers area in Himara. Arjan Tase has been charged
A meme providing a snapshot of every political leaning in Albania has made waves on social media as users seek to figure out where on the spectrum they lie while accepting some cold, hard truths. The “Political compass of Albania” meme provides a diagram dividing all political leanings in the country. From authoritarian to libertarian
The Albanian Socialist Party has proposed two changes to the electoral code regarding verifying individuals for their involvement in the former communist regime. The proposals come after former president and prime minister Ilir Meta was accused of collaborating with the communist regimes feared intelligence department. “Our two legal initiatives consist of creating the legal basis
Albania’s second largest opposition party, the Socialist Movement for Intengration (LSI), will now be called Partia e Lirisë (The Freedom Party), as former President Ilir Meta returns at the helm. Meta ended his five-year stint as president on Sunday when Barjam Begaj took over the reins. Met had previously served as the head of LSI,
Albania’s new President, Bajram Begaj, was sworn in on Sunday (24 July) and called for the country’s political parties to cooperate on matters key to the future, particularly the rule of law. Begaj is a retired military officer who had a long career in the Albanian Army before resigning his post as Chief of General
Ex-prime minister, president, and current leader of the Democratic Party, Sali Berisha has been designated persona non-grata by the United Kingdom, a year after the US gave him the same designation. On Thursday, the British envoy to the Western Balkans, Sir Stuart Peach, said a number of Albanian citizens had been sanctioned for their involvement
At the first Intergovernmental Conference in Brussels on Tuesday (19 July), Prime Minister Edi Rama discussed the country’s perspective and addressed difficult questions from the media. Three years after receiving the ‘ok’ from the European Council and Commission, Albania finally started formal EU membership negotiations after Bulgaria lifted its veto of North Macedonia, which was
An 18-year-old man lost his life in Durres yesterday while attempting to rescue his 15-year-old brother and his friend from drowning, bringing this summer season’s death toll to 11. While the other two survived, Anri Kashniku drowned, and his body was retrieved later by the authorities. Various political figures, including outgoing President Ilir Meta and