Albania

From elections and party politics to local government, media and construction, Prime Minister Edi Rama’s hold on power now faces a new test. In June of this year, a book setting out an ambitious vision for Albania’s physical transformation was published: The Albanian Files. Featuring a foreword by Prime Minister …

Prosecutors are investigating the agency that developed Albania’s AI-minister ‘Diella’ in a case that involves alleged rigged tenders, a kidnapping, and tens of millions in seized assets. The affair deepens doubts about how artificial intelligence will be used to address the country’s widespread graft problem. Last September, Albania made headlines …

The fence appeared in April. Topped with razor wire, it closed off Pishe Poro, a beach on Albania’s Adriatic coast that is part of the Vjosa-Narta Protected Landscape, an important stopover for migrating birds. At the site, covering more than 1.3 million square metres, a company called Zvernec South Adriatic …

Sazan Island served as a naval base under Albania’s communist regime and remains under the control of the Ministry of Defence. To pave the way to granting it strategic investor status, Albania’s President Bajram Begaj earlier signed an urgent decree removing a military training zone from the Armed Forces deployment …

Protestors called for an end to the atrocities and genocide in Gaza. As global outrage toward the state of Israel grows over the escalating humanitarian crisis and atrocities against Palestinians, several hundred citizens gathered last night in Skënderbeg Square in Tirana to express solidarity with the Palestinian people and to …

As fires rage at overflowing and often illegal landfills in Albania, companies with criminal connections keep securing waste management contracts with the state. The swamp in the village of Shetel, central Albania, used to host birds and other wildlife. For the past few years, however, it has been used as …

In the May 11 parliamentary elections, Socialist Prime Minister Edi Rama secured another decisive victory, reinforcing a dominance built over three consecutive terms. His machinery of consensus is stronger than ever, but the lines between the state and the party appear increasingly blurred After three consecutive terms in power, Albanian …

The Ministries of Defense of Albania, Croatia, and Kosovo have published the full text of the Joint Defense Declaration, which they signed on March 18 in Tirana. “Due to great public interest, we are publishing the Declaration signed on March 18, 2025, in Tirana by the Ministers of Defense of …

The Italian government has passed a new decree to circumvent a recent ruling from the Rome tribunal and European Court of Justice (ECJ) obligations that had challenged its migration outsourcing model with Albania. Albania and Italy struck a deal in the autumn of 2023 to set up two migrant centres …

Court documents detail claims of how an alleged drug boss living in Dubai laundered money in his native Albania, helping to fuel a rapid rise in real estate prices. In September 2020, Klajdi Merkaj was getting ready to travel to Dubai with the intention of securing new funds for his …