All News on Social Issues in Albania

Cotric: Serbs in Albania face extinction

BELGRADE - Serbs in Albania are one of Europe's most endangered minority communities as they have no recognised status of a national minority or the right to receive institutional education and information in their native tongue, and face assimilation and complete extinction as a result, Serbian Renewal Movement MP Aleksandar Cotric warned on Sunday.

Albania Passes Landmark Territorial Reform

Albania has changed the face of local government after MPs on Thursday adopted a reorganisation bill, radically reducing the number of town halls.

EU and the Balkans co-operate against human trafficking

Germany and France have agreed to establish joint expert working groups with Albania and Serbia.

The EU is engaging Balkan countries to slow the tide of human trafficking from the Middle East, Africa and Asia by providing additional support for refugees who legally arrive in Union states.

Municipal Cull Angers Albania Opposition

Albania's main opposition party has slated plans to drastically cut the number of rural and urban municipalities from 350 to 61, three of which will be ethnic minority municipalities.

If the law is passed on July 31, it will be Albania’s first territorial administrative reform since 1992, following the collapse of the Communist regime.

People from Serbia have no chance to get asylum in Germany

German Minister for Internal Affairs Thomas de Maiziere People from Serbia have no chance to get asylum in Germany

BELGRADE: Germany’s Internal Affairs Minister Thomas de Maiziere spoke to Blic about the ways of helping Serbia on its way to the EU and solving the problem of asylum seekers.

Support from region for Serbian trade unions' request

BELGRADE - The Regional Conference of Trade Unions of the Financial Sector of South-East Europe (SEE) adopted a declaration supporting colleagues from Serbia who are opposing the adoption of the proposed labor law without a public debate.

Security experts from Belgrade, Pristina and Tirana work to improve co-operation

Balkan countries co-operating to stop weapons trafficking

New initiatives are in place to slow the flow of illegal weapons.

Balkan countries are co-operating to slow weapons trafficking as the region becomes a final destination for illegal weapons in addition to being a transit route to European and other markets, experts said.

Albania President Pressed Over Roma Property Rights

A group of Roma and human rights organizations gathered on Monday in front of the president’s office and presented a petition with 6,000 signatories, calling on the head of state to return the legislative amendments to parliament.

Albanians Promised Jobs for Votes, Study Finds

“About 43 per cent of respondents declared they were aware of cases in which votes were promised in return for favours,” IDRA said in a statement on Wednesday.

“Voting ‘to keep their current job’; to 'get a job after the elections’; and ‘in return for money or gifts’, are mentioned as frequent phenomena encountered by more than a third of the respondents,” it added.

Young Jobless Albanians Abandon Hope of Work

An online survey carried between June and April 2014, including 7,555 respondents from across Southeast Europe, show Albania has the lowest number of unemployed young people actually seeking a job.

Only 36 per cent of the respondents in Albania said they were actively seeking employment, followed by Macedonia and Montenegro, where the figures were 38 and 39 per cent.

Council of Europe resolution to foster minority rights, languages in Albania

A law on nationalities would help clarify Albania's policy, and other steps also are needed to address remaining discriminatory practices against minorities.

A new Council of Europe resolution requires Albania to provide education to minorities in their native languages. [AFP]