Knut Fleckenstein

Luigi Soreca, EU Delegation Ambassador in Tirana (front) and Knut Fleckenstein, rapporteur for Albania in the European Parliament, after meeting opposition leaders in Tirana on 28 February 2019. Photo: Malton Dibra/LSA

Knut Fleckenstein, the German rapporteur for Albania, said quitting parliament was wrong.

The European Parliament is calling for a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of Konstantinos Katsifas, a 35-year-old ethnic Greek man who was fatally shot by Albanian authorities in the southern village of Bularat at the end of last month in what was described by Albanian authorities as an exchange of fire.

BELGRADE - Serbian PM Aleksandar Vucic and MEP Knut Fleckenstein met on Tuesday to discuss the situation in the region, noting Serbia's role as a factor of peace and stability in the Western Balkans.

Albania's Democratic Party-led opposition on Thursday started a sixth day of street protests against the centre-left government of Edi Rama, calling on the government to step down so that a "technical" government can be formed to lead the country into free and fair elections.

A delegation from the European Parliament's (EP) Socialist Group, including EU Turkey rapporteur Kati Piri, is set to pay a visit Feb. 19 to the Sur district of southeastern Diyarbak?r province, where the clashes between the security forces and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants have been ongoing for months. 

BELGRADE - Good relations between Serbia and Russia do not pose an obstacle to the relations with the EU, but Serbia still needs to evaluate which measures it would take and at which point it would do so, and the country should also show its full commitment to its EU path, member of the European Parliament (EP) Knut Fleckenstein said.

The ruling centre-left coalition of Prime Minister Edi Rama and the centre-right opposition, headed by the Democratic Party leader, Lulzim Basha, have agreed on a proposal to enable the opposition to end its prolonged boycott of the assembly.,

MEP Eduard Kukan of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) bloc arrived in Tirana on Monday in the wake of last week's visit by Knut Fleckenstein of the European People's Party (EPP) bloc in an attempt to negotiate a solution that will see Albania's opposition return to parliament.