Latest Analysis from Albania
Troubled Albanian Museum Sunk by Hoxha Row
Donors spent hundreds of thousands of euro building a new museum in Gjirokastra - but the results were questionable and it ultimately closed over an ideological dispute.
Opposition Leader’s ‘Assault’ Turns Into Albania Poll Issue
The parliamentary probe into opposition leader Edi Rama’s alleged behavior in Vienna is adding to the tense pre-election climate in Albania.
Match-Fixing Reports Tarnish Albania Football
Local football authorities promise action after reports of widespread match-fixing in the football league, which is ruining the image of ‘the beautiful game’ among fans.
Albania President’s Court Nominations Raise Eyebrows
Nominations to the Constitutional Court of two judges whose earlier rulings on corruption cases were highly controversial have raise doubts about the President’s stance on the rule of law.
Albania’s Sanctuary Offer to Iranians Raises Eyebrows
Tirana bills its offer to take in 210 members of an Iranian resistance group a humanitarian gesture - an alternative explanation is that the government is just doing America’s bidding.
Albania Police in Row Over Murder Suspect Ties
The opposition has called for top police officials to resign after leaked photographs show them feasting with a businessman accused of killing a police commissioner.
Centralised Albania Snubs Mayors’ Concerns
Parliament has undermined the financial autonomy of local authorities while turning a deaf ear on their concerns, report says.
Austria and Albania Probe Hospital Sex Abuse Claims
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.
Albania’s Berisha Becomes Born-Again Nationalist
The Albanian prime minister’s efforts to reinvent himself as a model patriot before elections this year might be purely opportunistic but could stoke tensions and alienate key allies.
Albania: Elections May Put Reforms on Hold
The political climate is expected to heat up before the June 2013 parliamentary elections, while its economy and the EU integration process will suffer the consequences.
Albania: Festive Tone Failed to Bridge Divide
As Tirana marked its independence centennial, the ruling elite remained divided and unwilling to compromise, and the country failed to advance its EU bid.
Election Row Holds Albania’s EU Bid to Ransom
A dispute over the 2011 local elections threatens the approval in parliament of key reforms on which Albania’s EU candidate status may depend.
Developers Ravage Albania’s Historic Landmarks
Albania’s shrinking stock of historic buildings is in danger as owners, real estate developers and mayors conspire to get rid of them, and rebuild on the sites.
Neighbourhood Crises Hobble Albania’s Recovery
Albania faces another year of sluggish growth as foreign investors shy away, domestic consumers keep savings in the bank and recession deepens in neighbouring Greece and Italy.
Albania Election Warm-up Off to Bumpy Start
Political parties have ignored the legal deadline to constitute the new Central Electoral Commission, CEC, which will create administrative problems and could reinforce mistrust in next year’s election.
