Albania
New members expected to join EU by 2030 as enlargement momentum builds
Top European Commission officials say admitting new member states to the European Union by 2030 is now a “realistic goal”.
Albanian deputy prime minister faces corruption investigation
Energy and Infrastructure Minister Belinda Balluku is one of the most senior figures in Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialist Party.
Western Balkan countries become emerging players in Europe’s defence efforts
The Western Balkans could play an increasingly important role in strengthening Europe’s security architecture, says a new report from the Carnegie Europe think-tank.
INTERVIEW: Can Albania’s tourism miracle last?
As social media brings in the crowds, the head of the Albanian Tour Operators Association tells bne IntelliNews Albania should turn away from mass-market tourism and focus on higher-value offerings.
Albania’s AI minister ‘pregnant’ with 83 children, PM says
AI “minister” Diella will give birth to dozens of digital parliamentary assistants for ruling party MPs.
Emerging Europe’s growth holds up but risks loom, says wiiw
Fiscal fragility, weakening industrial demand from Germany, and the prolonged fallout from Russia’s war in Ukraine threaten to undermine growth momentum in parts of the region.
UK sanctions Balkan gangs and financiers over people-smuggling networks
Measures target criminal networks involved in producing fake travel documents and an illicit financial group accused of supplying small boat engines to smugglers, Foreign Office says.
EU mulls partial membership plan to ease enlargement and bypass veto risks
Move is aimed at moving forward with enlargement and overcoming resistance from EU members such as Hungary, but reaching consensus to be a challenge.
Thousands rally in Tirana demanding justice for former KLA leaders on trial in The Hague
Albanian PM Edi Rama called the protest, urging all Albanians to unite behind what he described as a “national cause” — defending the honour and legacy of Kosovo’s wartime leaders.
The EU needs to change to stay geopolitically relevant
Leading EU figures are pushing for the unanimity rule used to make important decisions to be dropped to enable faster enlargement — one of the bloc’s main tools for geopolitical influence.
World Bank projects growth upturn for Western Balkans from 2027
But region needs to focus on job creation and reforms to catch up with average EU living standards within the next 40 years.
Rifts on show at EU-Western Balkan summit in Albania
Differences apparent over EU reform as well as friction between Serbia and Kosovo.
Judge shot dead in Albanian courtroom
A man on trial opened fire in a courtroom in Tirana, killing a judge Astrit Kalaja and injuring two other people.
European leaders caught on video mocking Trump for confusing Albania with Armenia
Video shows Albania’s Edi Rama joking with French President Emmanuel Macron and Azerbaijan’s Ilham Aliyev at EPC summit over US president’s repeated geographic blunders.
EU’s influence declines in its neighbourhood as China and Russia gain ground
Chinese presence growing in Western Balkans, while Russia makes gains in Turkey, shows new index developed by wiiw, Bertelsmann Stiftung and ECIPE.
EBRD says geopolitics, tariffs and China competition weigh on Emerging Europe growth
Development bank downgrades 2025 forecasts for Central and Eastern Europe citing weak external demand, rising debt and the impact of US tariffs.
Albania launches nationwide cleanup of abandoned car graveyards
Albania has one of Europe's oldest car fleets, and a waste management sector that lags behind those of EU members and other Western Balkan countries.
Albania shifts to high-tech policing with expanded use of security cameras and surveillance drones
Western Balkan governments are leveraging cameras, drones and AI to enhance law enforcement, raising concerns among rights activists.
Trump mistakes Armenia for Albania for the third time at UK press conference
US president says he brought peace to “Aberbaijan” and Albania as he touts his peacemaker credentials during UK state visit.
Albanian PM’s presentation of AI ‘minister’ to MPs ends in chaos
Opposition lawmakers disrupted Prime Minister Edi Rama’s presentation of Diella, the world’s first AI-generated government minister.