Week in Review: Alignment, Collision and Scandal
From a political spying scandal to MAGA alignment and a brewing collision with the law, selection of BIRN Premium stories this week makes for an exciting read. KAYNAK: Balkan Insight
In Albania, Leveraging Celebrity Exposure to Stay out of Jail
Charged with corruption, money laundering and concealment of wealth, ex-politician Monika Kryemadhi is rebranding herself as a showbiz celebrity on the Big Brother reality show, but can it keep her…
Rama’s Collision With Justice Shatters Illusions About Albania’s Democracy
The prime minister’s moves to shield his deputy from arrest feel like the beginning of the end of an era for Albanians’ hopes that the powerful would finally be held…
Monday Briefing from the Balkans: March 23, 2026
Catch up on the weekend’s most important developments with Balkan Insight’s digest of news from countries across the region. KAYNAK: Balkan Insight
Timeline: Albania’s High-Level Corruption Cases Raise Political Temperature
The controversy over Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku has put the spotlight on prosecution efforts to target high-level corruption – but she is only the latest senior politician to face…
‘Cruel, Sadistic’: Albanian Communist State’s Killings of Escapees Still Mostly Unpunished
In the final years of Albania’s communist dictatorship, the authorities shot dozens of citizens trying to flee the country – and most of the attempts to bring the killers to…
Major Cocaine Heist Reveals Albanian Links to Swedish Drug Trade
The theft of a shipment of cocaine that was smuggled from Costa Rica to Sweden exposed the role of Albanian criminal groups in the international logistics of the drug trade,…
Iran-Linked Hackers’ Fresh Strike on Albania Highlights Continued Negligence
A new cyberattack by Iran-linked Homeland Justice group targeting Albania’s parliament revealed the continued vulnerability of state digital systems and failures to implement basic security measures. KAYNAK: Balkan Insight
Week in Review: The Wheel of Fortune
Our selection of Balkan Insight Premium stories this week takes a look at the changing fortunes, power dynamics and neighbourly relations of countries and politicians in south-east Europe. KAYNAK: Balkan…
Letter from Brussels: Is a Hopeful Breeze Blowing Through the EU’s ‘Waiting Room’?
Brussels has already gone cold on a scheme to allow some aspirant countries like Albania and Serbia second-tier membership – but that doesn’t mean that other creative approaches to European…