Latest News from Albania
Albania President Blocks Surveillance Law
Experts see dangers in the way the government is approaching people's privacy. Alfred Olli, an expert in civil and public safety, told BIRN on Tuesday that the government cannot violently impose surveillance on citizens against their will.
Albanian ISIS Militant Reported Dead
Albanian media reported on Sunday that Daci, also known as Ebu Belkisa, who had been fighting alongside ISIS in the Middle East, has died.
Local media quoted his relatives as saying they had been informed by Daci's wife that the 33-year-old former imam from the village of Leshnica, in the Pogradec area of eastern Albania, was dead.
Albania Eyes Fresh, Longer, Ban on Hunting
Albanian is preparing to impose a new ban on shooting of animals and birds for another five years.
The Ministry of Environment told BIRN that the new draft law is on its way and is expected to pass parliament in July and take effect early in the autumn.
Austria to deploy military on its borders with Italy
Austrian Defence Minister Hans Peter Doskozil told Austrian newspaper ‘Osterreich’ that 3 military battalions were ready to deploy in the state of Tirol in light of the refugee crisis. His new statements come a day after he told news outlets Saturday that tighter military border controls were necessary on the borders of Greece, Italy and Bulgaria to stem immigration flows.
Albanians Get to Fly from Second Airport
Albanians will soon be able to fly out from a second airport at Kukes in the north after the government and the shareholders of Tirana International Airport, TIA agreed to end the latter's monopoly on flights.
A concession agreement signed by the government on October 2004 gave TIA shareholders, led by AviAlliance company of Germany, exclusive rights to civil flights from Albania.
Albania Acts to Stop Strasbourg Rulings on Landowners
Albania's government hopes new legislation will halt further rulings by the European Human Rights Court in favour of former landowners, which have obliged it to pay them large amounts of financial compensation.
Highways Dominate Balkan Mini-Summit in Albania
Foreign ministers of Western Balkan countries met on Wednesday in Durres, Albania, with EU Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn to discuss joint infrastructural projects financed by the EU.
The Durres meeting was the fourth such meeting of Western Balkan ministers in the so-called Berlin Process, a five-year process started in August 2014 marked by yearly summits.
Bulgaria Expands Quota for University Students from Bulgarian Diaspora
The government in Sofia has decided to increase 2.5 times the annual quota for university students from the Bulgarian diaspora living mostly in European countries.
Incomplete Analysis Hinders Anti-Extremism in the Balkans
Balkan governments need to support efforts to properly measure the scale of radicalisation and violent Islamic extremism and implement comprehensive strategies to tackle the issue, regional experts have warned.
Bulgaria Appoints Kalin Mitrev Alternate Director of EBRD Office
The Bulgarian government has named Kalin Mitrev as the country's representative in the Board of Directors at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).
Mitrev will also assume the Alternate Director's position, heading the bank's joint office for Poland, Bulgaria and Albania.
Albania Bids For Slice of Russian Tourist Market
The Albanian government is eyeing the tourist market in Russia at a time when Russian holidaymakers are becoming wary of such traditional destinations as Turkey and Greece.
The idea is to exploit the problems facing Turkey and Greece, when both are struggling with refugee crises, and when terrorism is also making itself felt in Turkey.
Albania Experts Dispute Plan to Lease Historic Sites
The Albanian Culture Ministry plan to lease cultural monuments for up to 20 years has sparked a fierce debate about possible damage to historic sites.
Some heritage experts say the decision was not transparent, was decided without a proper debate and could result in damage to monuments, as has happened in past.
Albanian Territorial Reform Has Created Confusion, Report
Territorial and administrative reform in Albania, which has changed the map of the country, reducing 400 local units to 61, is proceeding slowly and has created confusion, a mission of Congress of Local and Regional Authorities that visited Albania in February says.
Kayakers Front Campaign to Save Balkan Rivers
Court cases, evidence of flawed or false construction permits, poorly compiled or non-existent environmental impact assessment studies and a range of other problems have failed to halt the construction of a series of small hydropower plants across the Western Balkans.
Albania Struggles to Prevent Drugs Traffic by Air
Police authorities in Albania in collaboration with Italian counterparts have opened an investigation into drugs trafficking after a small plane was spotted on Sunday flying over fields near Vlora a few miles from the sea.
Three suspects were later questioned by the Vlora police, although the plane and its pilot are still unidentified.