Middle East Crisis: Balkan Countries Act to Ease Spike in Oil Prices
As oil and gas prices surge amid the Iran war, Balkan countries are pondering ways to reduce the impact on households and businesses. KAYNAK: Balkan Insight
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…
Albanian MPs Adopt Resolution Declaring Iran ‘State Sponsor of Terrorism’
Ruling Socialist Party MPs aiming to support the US on the Iran war push through resolution – but opposition MPs boycott the vote they claim was staged 'for the personal…
Anti-Democratic Trends Mean 65% of CEE Citizens Now Live in Electoral Autocracies: Report
Among the new ‘autocratizers’ are Croatia, Slovakia and Slovenia, says report compiled by V-Dem Institute in Sweden. KAYNAK: Balkan Insight
Icelandic Bid for EU Membership Would Boost Montenegro’s Chances
If Iceland restarts its European Union accession talks following a referendum this summer, Balkan membership bid frontrunner Montenegro stands to benefit from the revived enlargement momentum. KAYNAK: Balkan Insight
‘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…