Eurasia Press & News
The OSCE head in Albania on Wednesday urged Albania’s Chief Prosecutor, Adriatik Llala, to redouble the fight against organized crime and corruption.“The fight against organized crime, including trans-border crime and corruption, is the key to ensuring stability in the country, the region and at the global level,” Ambassador Eugen Wollfarth …
Read More »Failed EU Bid Left Albania Elite ‘Unfazed’, Expert Says
A visit by EU Commissioner Stefan Fule to Tirana has not caused much reflection among the political elite about Albania’s stalled EU integration process, a local expert says.“Albania’s political class has shown repeatedly in the last three years that its narrow political gains trump any other priority required for EU …
Read More »EU Urges Free and Fair Albania Elections
Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fule urged Albanian leaders on Monday to hold elections according to international standards, describing them as a crucial test of democracy.The successful conduct of parliamentary elections in 2013 will be a crucial test for the smooth functioning of the country’s democratic institutions,” Fule said following meetings in …
Read More »Serbia Albanians Rally Against Monument to Police
Around 1,000 ethnic Albanians demonstrated in the southern town of Bujanovac, demanding Belgrade remove the memorial which they see as provocative.Protesters at Friday’s rally carried Albanian flags and placards accusing Serbia of discrimination. They called on Belgrade to take down the monument to Serbian police killed during the Kosovo conflict …
Read More »Albania Slashes Interest Rate to Historic Low
The central bank cut the key benchmark interest rate on Wednesday by 0.25 per cent to a historic low of 3.75 per cent in an effort to kick start the stagnating economy.“Economic activity remains below potential and sources of growth are unstable,” the central bank governor, Ardian Fullani, said, explaining …
Read More »Russia Opposes Changes to Balkan Borders
The Russian Foreign Minister has dimissed the Albanian Prime Minister’s call for an eventual unification of all Albanians in one state, saying too much blood has been spilled in the region already.Sergei Lavrov said that any redrawing of borders in Europe is unacceptable, and that fully refers to the situation …
Read More »Albania Govt Signs US Lobby Firm Ahead of Poll
As Albania’s government signs a new contract with the Washington-based law and lobbyist firm Patton Boggs, to improve its image in the US ahead of the June elections, questions remain about the sources of funding for parties’ PR agencies.The consulting firm has represented Albania’s government several times and also served …
Read More »Albanian Parties Trade Jibes Ahead of Elections
Albania’s Socialists accused the ruling Democrats of planning to rig the June 23 polls while the governing party claimed the opposition was trying to spark another crisis.As the political environment heated up ahead of the parliamentary elections, Socialist Party leader Edi Rama said the government was planning to rig the …
Read More »Deadlock Threatens Albania Election Standards
As Albania’s Central Electoral Commission, CEC, remains in political deadlock, observers warn that standards for the 2013 general election are already in jeopardy.“An independent and well functioning CEC is one of the main poll standards sought by international observers,” Premto Gogo, head of KRIIK Albania, an NGO that is part …
Read More »Albania Nationalizes Troubled Power Firm
The Albanian energy regularity agency, ERE, on Monday stripped the local subsidiary of the Czech power giant CEZ of its operating license, effectively taking it back into state control.The decision, which outrights nationalizes the utility company, CEZ Shprendarje, is the latest twist in a long-running dispute between Tirana and the …
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