Albania

A parliamentary investigation must be conducted in Albania to pave the way for eventual EU integration, the world organisation, Socialist International (SI), said on Saturday (May 29th) in Tirana. SI Secretary-General Luis Ayala of Chile stressed that the ongoing political stalemate is the direct result of a lack of transparency …

EU personnel met with Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha and Socialist Party (SP) leader Edi Rama on Wednesday (May 26th) in Tirana, in a bid to mediate a solution to the months-long political stalemate. At issue are differences over the transparency of the June 2009 general elections, which the SP …

Working groups from Kosovo and Serbia met on Wednesday (May 26th) in Pristina to discuss technical details ahead of the exhumation of a mass grave discovered in Raska, southern Serbia, earlier this month. “We expect the work to begin intensively in two to three weeks at the latest,” Pajazit Nushi, …

The European Commission announced today its adoption of a proposal to lift the visa regime for Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina, but the two countries must still fulfill remaining benchmarks before their citizens can travel without a visa in the Schengen zone.

A day after the opposition Socialist Party (SP) returned to parliament, OSCE and EC ambassadors reiterated on Tuesday (May 25th) that lawmakers should take advantage of this development to hold debates, rather than “insult each other”, OSCE Ambassador Robert Bosch said.

In its Wednesday meeting, the European Commission is expected to give its approval of the recommendation for lifting the visa regime for citizens of Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina, but there are many more steps to be taken before the countries’ citizens can travel freely in Europe without a visa.

US Ambassador to Tirana John Withers said on Monday (May 24th) that Albania is in a government crisis, not a political one. Albania faces “problems that affect the welfare of the people, and disagreements have stopped the functioning of the system to help the citizens”, Withers said at an open …

Albania – Lawmakers from the opposition Socialist Party (SP) are expected to attend parliament sessions this week, following the start of negotiations to resolve the ongoing political stalemate. Local media reported at the weekend that SP leader Edi Rama was told at a negotiating table in Strasbourg to get his …

After meeting with EU representatives in Strasbourg, Albania’s main political parties have failed to reach an agreement to overcome the political stalemate that has plagued the country for almost a year. Prime Minister Sali Berisha from the ruling Democratic Party and opposition leader Edi Rama of the Socialists met with

The European Commission (EC) has asked Tirana to answer 170 additional questions, to supplement the questionnaire submitted last month when Albania applied for candidate country status. Integrations Minister Majlinda Bregu said on Tuesday (May 18th) that Albania will send “clarifications” regarding issues raised by the Commission. According to media reports, …