Albania

EU enlargement commissioner Stefan Fuele condemned the ruling majority’s decision to hold a referendum on three bills required for Albania’s EU candidate status bid.I have been repeatedly stressing that the laws, and in particular the rules of procedures, need to be approved through consensus between the opposition and government and …

A group of NGOs on Wednesday warned that Albania’s institutions are failing to notify voters of their presence on preliminary electoral rolls ahead of the June parliamentary elections.“The government is blatantly omitting its legal obligation to inform voters of their presence of the electoral lists and the voting booth where …

The German Foreign Minister, Guido Westerwelle, has called for free and fair elections in Albania, warning against the rise of nationalist rhetoric in Tirana.“It’s very important for the elections to be held successfully and in accordance with European principles,” Westerwelle said in a joint press conference with his Albanian counterpart, …

Authorities in Austria and Tirana are investigating allegations that an Albanian student was sexually abused after waking up from a coma following a tragic bus accident.Two parallel investigations are now underway after the family of 23-year-old Florije Peci alleged that she became pregnant as a result of a sex attack …

A leaked US State Department memo condemns Prime Minister Sali Berisha’s nationalist rhetoric, calling it a danger to regional stability.The undated memo seems to have been sent to Prime Minister Sali Berisha after Serbia took down a memorial to ethnic Albanian fighters in the southern Serbian town of Presevo in …

The Albanian government on Tuesday argued in the Constitutional Court that a referendum on a banning imports of trash would only flood the country with yet more hazardous waste.Activists united under an umbrella called the Alliance Against Waste Imports, AKIP, have collected 64,000 signatures seeking a referendum that would delete …

The Constitutional Court on Tuesday will hear arguments about a referendum on waste imports, the first such grassroots initiative in Albania’s history.The request, which is spearheaded by a group of activists, environmentalists and intellectuals, has collected more than 64,000 signatures, calling for the annulment of a law that allows waste …

Activists rallied on Saturday in front of Tirana’s main court, protesting against the acquittal of senior officers accused of killing three protestors in the January 21, 2011 riots.“We are sounding the alarm that the justice system is being held hostage by an autocratic system,” a political commentator, Andrea Stefani, told …

The US Embassy in Tirana has expressed shock at the acquittal of two Republican Guard officers accused of the murder of three protesters during the January 21, 2011 riots.“We are dismayed by the decision of the Tirana District Court to acquit the two defendants who stood trial on charges related …

Tirana District Court ruled on Thursday that two former officers of the Republican Guard were not guilty for the deaths of three protestors in the January 21, 2011 riots.The court rejected murder charges against General Nrea Prendi, former head of the Republican Guard, and Agim Llupo, former chief of staff …