Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said that the growing street protests threaten not his government but the country’s progress toward joining the European Union. Rama rejected demands for his resignation and stressed: “I am not being challenged, the government is not being challenged, a government majority or a winning party...
Mass student protests against corruption erupt in Albania
Clashes between participants in student protests and police continue in the Albanian capital. On Thursday, young people threw stones at a police cordon outside the Ministry of Education building. Security forces responded with tear gas and water cannons, and several demonstrators were detained. The day before, protesters ransacked government buildings,...
Albania’s intelligence chief placed under house arrest in corruption case
Albania’s Special Prosecution Against Corruption and Organised Crime (SPAK) on Tuesday announced house arrest for Vlora Hyseni, head of the State Intelligence Service (SHISH). She was simultaneously suspended from her duties. Hyseni is suspected of disclosing classified information and aiding an offender. The case is linked to a wider corruption...
EU warns Ukraine over corruption as Brussels unveils enlargement reports
The bloc’s top diplomat said that 2030 was a “realistic deadline” for bringing in new members. Ukraine must avoid backsliding on anti-corruption efforts to remain in the fast lane for EU membership, Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos said Tuesday as she unveiled a report praising pro-EU reforms in Moldova, Albania and Montenegro. “Amid the challenges...