Government of Albania

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.

The Special Prosecution Against Organised Crime and Corruption said on Tuesday that two investigations of President Ilir Meta have begun after former MP Halit Valteri issued two criminal complaints accusing him of abuses related to lobbying contracts with US firms.

This morning, President of the Republic of Serbia, Aleksandar Vui, spoke via video link with the Prime Minister of the Republic of Albania, Edi Rama, and the Prime Minister of the Republic of Northern Macedonia, Dimitar Kovaevski.

In December last year, Albania's High Court overturned a decision by the country's Appeals Court which, five years earlier, had freed a notorious underworld figure called Lulzim Berisha.

Socialist Party MPs said on Thursday that an opposition request to investigate controversial strategic investments in the country's coastal areas should be rejected on a technicality, arguing that supporting signatures wasn't collected in a proper way.

New Beginning

Albania President - elect, Bajram Begaj. Photo credits: Edi Rama Facebook

After the often turbulent and anything-but-dull five year term of Ilir Meta as President of Albania, is the country about to get a 'normal' president? On Saturday June 4, Albania's Parliament elected Bajram Begaj as the country's new President, due to take office at the end of July.

The summit is attended by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, prime ministers of North Macedonia and Albania, Dimitar Kovacevski and Edi Rama, as well as officials from Montenegro and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
President Vucic said that he had meetings with representatives of countries that are not yet official members of the Open Balkans.