Albania

France on Thursday congratulated newly-appointed Albanian Prime Minister, Edi Rama, whose Socialist-led coalition came to power after sometimes-violent Albanian legislative elections. But Paris expressed concern to Tirana about “certain violent incidents” that took place during

Counting continues after Sunday’s parliamentary vote, seen as crucial to Albania’s EU integration hopes. Poll commissioners continued to count ballots on Monday after an election day marred by the murder of an opposition supporter and the wounding of a ruling Democratic Party candidate in a shootout in the northern town …

Two EU top officials said on Monday that the parliamentary elections in Albania on June 23 represent a crucial test for the country’s democratic institutions and its progress towards the European Union. “We continue to monitor closely the preparations of the elections

The Kosovo parliament has approved a resolution demanding more rights for the ethnic Albanians who form local majorities in parts of the Presevo Valley of southern Serbia. It demands “full reciprocity” for ethnic Albanians in Serbia for

President Bujar Nishani on Tuesday said he would not participate in the summit of the South-East European Cooperation Process, SEECP, after his Kosovo counterpart was not invited. Nishani said he would not be going to Macedonia out of “disappointment with the destructive conditionality that

Representatives of the Governments of Montenegro, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia signed a memorandum of understanding, support and cooperation in the construction of two new pipelines – the Trans-Adriatic (Trans Adriatic Pipeline, TAP) and the

The European Union on Tuesday called for for a resolution of the power struggle among Albanian parties to control the Central Electoral Commission ahead of the June 23 elections.

High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton is beginning her visit to the region on Monday with a trip to Montenegro. In Montenegro, Ashton is to meet with PM Milo Đukanović

Dozens of reporters and activists rallied in front of the government, protesting over a police assault on a Top-Channel TV staffer.According to information received by Balkan Insight, police detained cameraman Gent Ballta on Sunday while he was filming confrontations between Tirana football club fans and police officers. While in detention …

President Bujar Nishani set Tuesday December 22 as the day when a historic referendum on trash imports will be held, the first such grassroots initiative in Albania.The referendum request had been spearheaded by a group of activists, environmentalists and intellectuals, who collected more than 64,000 signatures in order to annul …