ROME, Italy The European Commission (EC) will approve Albania’s request for EU candidate status this summer, Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini was quoted as saying by Albanian media on Wednesday (July 22nd). Tirana applied for candidate status in late April. “Albania’s early request cannot stay locked in a drawer … …
Read More »Albania’s poor to receive more aid
TIRANA, Albania The government plans to target less developed regions of the country, particularly in the northeast and southeast, to help low income residents there. At a meeting Wednesday (July 22nd), Prime Minister Sali Berisha instructed his cabinet to prepare a package of assistance measures within a month, aimed at …
Read More »Albanian government pledges to focus on EU
TIRANA, Albania Prime Minister Sali Berisha on Sunday (July 19th) said the future government’s goal will be to bring the country closer to EU membership. Berisha said the coalition between his Democratic Party and the Socialist Movement for Integration will focus on pro-EU reforms, and expanding human rights and citizen …
Read More »Governing Party in Albania Seeks to Assemble a Coalition
TIRANA Nearly a week after parliamentary elections, Albania’s governing Democratic Party began to assemble a coalition government on Saturday, even as the opposition Socialists decried the move as premature.
Read More »New pact to let European public track pollutants
GENEVA European citizens will be able to find out what dangerous substances are emitted in their neighbourhoods under an environmental treaty to go into effect in 17 countries in October, the United Nations said on Friday.
Read More »Albanian leaders express displeasure
BELGRADE Political leaders from southern Serbia say the situation in the region is stable, but the state is ignoring people living in that area of the country.The latest incidents in southern Serbia were enough for Bujanovac Municipal President Šaip Kamberi to accuse the Serbian police of repression in the region.
Read More »Albania’s SP blames government for Schengen exclusion
TIRANA, Albania The opposition Socialist Party (SP) blamed the government Thursday (July 16th) for failing to meet EU standards for achieving visa-free travel to member countries. Three other Balkan countries did make it onto the so-called White Schengen List.
Read More »Albania: Bombing Linked To Business Row
Albanian police said on Thursday that a car bombing in front the national assembly building in Tirana was most like linked to a possible business dispute involving the owner of the vehicle. The car, a Mercedes Benz SUV owned by a local businessman, exploded on Wednesday evening, damaging shops and …
Read More »Italian Fighter Jets To Patrol Albania Airspace
Italy’s air force squadrons will patrol Albanian airspace, following the country’s accession into the NATO alliance in April. According to the restructuring plans of the Albanian armed forces, Tirana has retired its ailing MIG fighter jet fleet, while in the framework of NATO, the integrity of the country’s airspace, has …
Read More »Albania: Mixed Reactions To Visa Decision
The European Commission’s decision not to grant visa-free travel to Albanian citizens has been met with little surprise in Tirana, where the issue was the subject of heated debate during the recent election campaign. Opposition leader Edi Rama, who is the mayor of Tirana, told reporters that the EU rejection …
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