Latest News from Albania

Minister Lajcak: Slovakia continues to be strong supporter of Romania's accession to Schengen Area

Slovakia continues to be a strong supporter of Romania's accession to the Schengen Area and of its candidacy for OECD membership, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Government of the Slovak Republic Miroslav Lajcak, on a visit to Bucharest, said on Tuesday.

Albania Hails ‘Magic’ Donor Pledges for Earthquake Recovery

Photo: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama in Brussels on 17 February 2020. Photo: European Commission/Twitter

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said the aid toll was "beyond our wildest imagination."

Bulgaria Allocates BGN 200,000 for Albania

Bulgaria will allocate BGN 200,000 in additional humanitarian aid to Albania as part of the donor conference organized by the European Union in Brussels. The funds raised through the conference are for the recovery and rehabilitation following the severe earthquake in Albania on November 26, 2019. To overcome the damage, the European Commission has decided to allocate € 100 billion.

EU supports quake reconstruction in Albania

Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias on Monday attended the international donors' conference "Together for Albania," which was hosted by the European Union in Brussels and aimed to muster support for the reconstruction effort in Albania following November's deadly earthquake.

Albania Hopes to Raise EUR 400 Million to Recover from the Earthquake

Albania's Prime Minister Eddie Rama has said he hopes the international donor conference in Brussels to raise at least 400m euros for the country to restore after the strong earthquake, AFP reports.

Interim PM Orban meets EC Vice President Jourova - swift lift of CVM on agenda

Interim Prime Minister Ludovic Orban has evoked the priority granted by the Government in Bucharest to the swift lift of the Co-operation and Verification Mechanism (CVM) within a meeting with Vice President of the European Commission for Values and Transparency Vera Jourova. The meeting took place on Sunday, on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.

Reviving Enlargement in Balkans Means Changing More than Methodology

Whatever happened to principles?

Oliver Varhelyi in Brussels, Belgium, 2020. Photo: EPA-EFE/OLIVIER HOSLET

The inability, or unwillingness, of the EU to confront local leaders in the Balkans has led some to farcical situations. Nothing can better showcase this lack of consistency than the issue of respect for the rule of law among aspiring EU members.

Turkey to attend int’l donors’ conference for Albania

Turkey will participate at the International Donors' Conference for Albania, scheduled to be held in Brussels on Feb. 17.

Faruk Kaymakçı, Turkey's deputy foreign minister and director for EU affairs, will attend the conference, organized by the European Commission, which "aims to heal the earthquake wounds of brotherly Albania, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

FM Dendias to attend Brussels council Monday

Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias travels to Brussels Monday to attend the EU Foreign Affairs Council.

Albania to Receive € 3m Donation from the Netherlands to Deal with Powerful Earthquake Damage

The Dutch government has decided to donate 3m euros to Albania in order to help the country to recover after the catastrophic earthquake last year, Foreign Minister Stef Blok said in his Twitter account.

"The Netherlands stands stands next to Albania in the aftermath of the earthquake and will donate €3 million for reconstruction efforts. ", he wrote

Macron opens door to North Macedonia, Albania EU accession talks

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Saturday he would allow North Macedonia and Albania to begin talks on joining the European Union if the bloc's executive gave them a positive review next month.

Pensions for ethnic Greeks

The Labor Ministry will soon table an amendment to a bill that would have disqualified people who have not resided in Greece for 40 years from receiving a state pension, government sources said Friday.
The bill would have affected ethnic Greeks from Albania who pay social security contributions in Greece. Ethnic Greeks held a protest rally in central Athens on Thursday.