Albania

BRUSSELS, Belgium The EU reiterated on Monday (May 18th) that Albania must ensure free and fair parliamentary elections in June in line with international standards, to boost its chances to receive EU candidate status.

TIRANA, Albania The country has not done enough to meet the requirements for abolishing the visa regime with the EU, local media reported on Sunday (May 17th), citing a report by the European Commission. The document officially appears on Monday.

After strongly contesting the appointment of the head of the international election monitoring team, the Albanian Central Electoral Commission on Thursday approved her appointment, along with a further 39 long-term observers. The centre-right government of Prime Minister Sali Berisha had earlier objected to Ambassador Audrey Glover’s appointment as head of …

The Union for Human Rights Party, PBDNJ, announced on Wednesday that it was dropping out of the coalition the centre-right government of Prime Minister Berisha, to join the Socialist of Tirana mayor Edi Rama ahead of the June 28 elections. Speaking in front of reporters the head of PBDNJ Vangjel …

TIRANA, Albania Politics should remain separate from the judicial system, while justice means treating all citizens equally and fairly, President Bamir Topi said on Sunday (May 10th). He was hosting an event marking the 96th anniversary of the establishment of the Albanian justice system. Topi thanked judges, prosecutors and the …

The Students’ Parliament of the State University in Tetovo, DUT, called for an all out Albanian boycott of Tuesday’s inauguration ceremony of Macedonia’s new President Georgi Ivanov. The students appealed to the heads of the ethnic Albanian parties in Macedonia, and Albanian President Bamir Topi to boycott the swear-in ceremony …

TIRANA, Albania Foreign Minister Lulzim Basha on Thursday (May 7th) promised government support to Albanian immigrants living in Greece. Meeting with their representatives in Tirana, Basha stressed that the government expects to reach an agreement soon with Athens authorities regarding social insurance and pensions for Albanian immigrants in Greece. Other …

TIRANA, Albania The government decided late on Wednesday (May 6th) to grant NATO permission to patrol its airspace until the Albanian air force starts patrolling it on its own. Parliament is expected to adopt the measure soon, without objections from the opposition. Albania joined NATO in early April.

The US ambassador to Albania in an impassioned speech on Wednesday harshly attacked attempts by politicians to exert pressure on prosecutors, robustly upholding the profession’s independence. At a ceremony marking the expansion of joint-investigation units commended for fighting economic crime in the last two years, John L. Withers emphasised that …

The Prosecution at the International War Crimes Tribunal has confirmed that it destroyed some materials discovered in the graves of murdered Srebrenica residents. BIRN had earlier revealed that it had received some indications suggesting that the material, that may have provided evidence pertaining to their murder, was destroyed.