Edi Rama

The geological region that stretches to the North from the Adriatic in the area of ​​Italy and Croatia and descends to the Ionian Sea and Western Greece to the South has yielded discoveries of oil and natural gas deposits.

Exploration by major oil companies is ongoing, while Croatia, Montenegro and Albania have stepped up their efforts with rounds of concessions.

Judicial Woes

A courtroom in Skopje. Photo: BIRN

Seven years ago, when the ruling SDSM came to power in North Macedonia, one of its pledges for cleaning up corruption and strengthening the rule of law was to implement a judicial vetting process. The aim of this would have been to root out corrupt or inefficient judges.

"If North Macedonia does not accept the French proposal, Albania will continue alone on the path to European integration. I think that is only right, but I hope that this will not be necessary", said Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte after his meeting with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama yesterday.

Media experts say Albanian journalists are struggling to deal with the political and professional pressures they are under after Prime Minister Edi Rama lashed out at two reporters in recent months, refusing to answer their questions because he said they were "unethical".

Laid to Rest?

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, European Council President Charles Michel, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen arrive for a family photo following an EU-Western Balkans leaders' meeting in Brussels, Belgium, 23 June 2022. Photo: EPA-EFE/STEPHANIE LECOCQ

Albania plans to license private production of cannabis "for medical and industrial use" for companies that have experience in the field in the EU, so joining a list of some 30 countries that allows the practice.

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama (left) and Socialist Party secretary-general Damian Gjiknuri. Photo: LSA

The opposition claims that the scheme would allow criminal to launder proceeds of illegal activities, in a country where money-laundering and organised crime are a serious concern.

Edi Rama's promises look great in 3D, but a BIRN analysis finds many of his imposing-looking infrastructure projects have yet to be built.

"Bulgaria has always been among those countries of the European Union that support the European affiliation of the Albanian people". This was stated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a position on the occasion of yesterday's speech by the Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama.

He published a video summarizing details from yesterday's visit to Brussels.