Albania’s EU Progress ‘Says More About Brussels Than Tirana’
Albania has opened every negotiation ‘cluster’ as it races along the road to EU accession, but who should get the credit - Edi Rama's government? Anti-graft prosecutors? Or even Vladimir…
Monday Briefing from the Balkans: January 26, 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
‘Balkan Nostradamus’: Baba Vanga’s Visions Still Flood Albania’s Media Landscape
The Bulgarian mystic’s doomy predictions continue to grab headlines in Albania and elsewhere – even though many seem fabricated and sometimes appear to serve Russian geopolitical narratives. KAYNAK: Balkan Insight
Week in Review: Hopes, Dreams and Reality Checks in 2026
As the new year gets off to a cold start in the region, our selection of Balkan Insight Premium stories takes a look at the high expectations and sobering realities…
Albanian Mystery ‘Journalist’ Sparks Suspicion with Pro-Govt Articles
Opinion articles under the pseudonym ‘Endri Kajsiu’ have for years promoted pro-government narratives in the Albanian media – leading some to wonder if the author could even be the prime…
‘Fiscal Peace’: Albanian Amnesty for Tax-Dodging Businesses Branded Unfair and Opaque
Albania’s government is poised to waive business tax debts more than a decade old, as part of what it says is a reset in relations between the tax authorities and…
Port-to-Port: How Albanians Conquered the European Cocaine Market
BIRN reporters trace the rise of Albanian crime gangs to the top of the European cocaine trafficking ladder, from remote parts of Paraguay to European Union ports. KAYNAK: Balkan Insight
In Albania, Women Often Quit Local Councils to Make Way for Men
Democracy and the rights of women are being undermined in Albania by the practice of filling electoral candidate lists with women, only to have them resign en masse once the…
Albania in the EU Fast Lane – Accelerating Without Democratising?
Tirana’s EU accession process is running in top gear – but worryingly, there’s no sign this is being matched with a democratic deepening at home. KAYNAK: Balkan Insight
Exposing Scams, Probing the Powerful: A Year of BIRN Investigations
As 2026 begins, we look back on some of the most important investigations published by BIRN in its 20th anniversary year – from brutal migrant-smuggling gangs and arms deals with…