Albania Moves to Revive Naval Industry Through Fincantieri Partnership

Headline

On June 30, 2026, Albania signed a cooperation memorandum in Vlora with Italy’s Fincantieri, one of Europe’s leading

15 hours ago

7 mins read

Reinier de Graaf Explains Reinier de Graaf

Headline

Tirana Times, June 30, 2026 – When Tirana Times published Reinier de Graaf’s open letter from The Albanian Files,

15 hours ago

6 mins read

Are Europe’s Star Architects Helping Launder Albania’s Criminal Economy?

Headline

The Albanian Files suggests that international architecture may have served not only as design, but as a prestigious façade for

3 days ago

12 mins read

Albania’s Street Revolt Turns Political

Headline

Tens of thousands filled Tirana on June 20 demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama and his government, turning

1 week ago

10 mins read

Albania’s Civic Revolt Demands the Government’s Resignation

Headline

What began as a protest over Zvernec and Sazan has become a nationwide civic movement demanding the resignation of the

2 weeks ago

15 mins read

Albania’s Cocaine Economy Comes Home

Headline

Towers, resorts and cocaine money put Albania’s criminal economy in plain sight. A SPAK investigation into alleged drug-money laundering has

3 weeks ago

8 mins read

Headline

Albania Moves to Revive Naval Industry Through Fincantieri Partnership

15 hours ago

On June 30, 2026, Albania signed a cooperation memorandum in Vlora with Italy’s Fincantieri, one of Europe’s leading shipbuilders, in a move aimed at

Headline

Reinier de Graaf Explains Reinier de Graaf

15 hours ago

Tirana Times, June 30, 2026 – When Tirana Times published Reinier de Graaf’s open letter from The Albanian Files, it did so because the text

Are Europe’s Star Architects Helping Launder Albania’s Criminal Economy?

8 minutes ago

12 mins read

The Strategic Price of Non-Enlargement

11 minutes ago

6 mins read

The Cost of Non Enlargement: Why the EU Cannot Afford to Leave the Western Balkans Behind

14 minutes ago

7 mins read

The Political Myth of the “Beautiful Protest”

23 hours ago

3 mins read

Latest

Are Europe’s Star Architects Helping Launder Albania’s Criminal Economy?

News

The Albanian Files suggests that international architecture may have served not only as design, but as a prestigious façade for opaque money, captured institutions and one-man rule. Tirana Times, June 29, 2026 – A glossy architectural volume meant to celebrate Albania’s transformation has unexpectedly become one of the most revealing

8 minutes ago

12 mins read

The Strategic Price of Non-Enlargement

Op-Ed

By Albert Rakipi Tirana Times, June 30, 2026 – For more than two decades, the Western Balkans have lived inside the promise of European integration. In Albania, support for membership in the European Union has often remained above 90 percent. I have sometimes described this support as almost “totalitarian.” Yet

11 minutes ago

6 mins read

The Cost of Non Enlargement: Why the EU Cannot Afford to Leave the Western Balkans Behind

Western Balkans

Tirana Times, June 29, 2026 – For years, the debate on European Union enlargement has been dominated by the presumed costs of admitting new members: institutional complexity, financial burdens, political resistance and the challenges of integrating countries still undergoing democratic and rule of law reforms. Yet a more strategic question

14 minutes ago

7 mins read

The Political Myth of the “Beautiful Protest”

Op-Ed

A Barthesian Reading By Diana Gëllçi, Ph.D. Tirana Times, June 30, 2026 – A beautiful protest has been unfolding in Tirana for several weeks. What is particularly interesting is that the same description has been adopted not only by the protesters themselves but also by government officials and media outlets aligned

23 hours ago

3 mins read

Architect to PM Rama: Cancel Elections, Become King

Op-Ed

Reinier de Graaf’s open letter in The Albanian Files has become a symbol of the troubling relationship between global architecture, political patronage and one-man rule in Albania. The following open letter by Dutch architect Reinier de Graaf, partner at the Office for Metropolitan Architecture, has become one of the most controversial passages

3 days ago

5 mins read

Austria Leads FDI, but Real Estate Tells the Bigger Story

Business & Economy

Bank of Albania data show Austria topping first-quarter foreign investment flows, while property and construction continue to shape Albania’s FDI model. Tirana Times June 25, 2026 – The figures place Austria ahead of some of Albania’s traditionally dominant investment partners, including Italy, the Netherlands and Turkey. Yet the data also

6 days ago

4 mins read

Latest

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Are Europe’s Star Architects Helping Launder Albania’s Criminal Economy?

News

The Albanian Files suggests that international architecture may have served not only as design, but as a prestigious façade for opaque money, captured institutions

8 minutes ago

12 mins read

The Strategic Price of Non-Enlargement

Op-Ed

By Albert Rakipi Tirana Times, June 30, 2026 – For more than two decades, the Western Balkans have lived inside the promise of European

11 minutes ago

6 mins read

A stronger Union for the Mediterranean for a stronger Mediterranean

6 days ago

5 mins read

This Auditorium Comes With a Price Tag -Corruption in Albania’s Public Universities

7 days ago

9 mins read

Albania’s Missing Generation: A Country Losing Its Future Before 2050

1 week ago

6 mins read

Tirana’s Towers, Albania’s New Pyramids?

1 week ago

7 mins read

Business and Economy

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Austria Leads FDI, but Real Estate Tells the Bigger Story

Business & Economy

Bank of Albania data show Austria topping first-quarter foreign investment flows, while property and construction continue to shape Albania’s FDI model. Tirana Times June 25, 2026 – The figures place Austria ahead of some of Albania’s traditionally dominant investment partners, including Italy, the Netherlands and Turkey. Yet the data also

6 days ago

4 mins read

Most Viewed

Property prices on Albanian coast soar, partially driven by foreign buyers

Albania joins SEPA, marking tangible step in economic integration with the EU

Turkish consortium bids to build Vlora airport as Albania prepares to launch national carrier

Kushner granted ‘strategic investor’ status for Sazan development ahead of Trump’s inauguration

Albania’s TikTok ban draws debate

Qatar Square to serve as Tirana’s newest hub and vital part of New Boulevard project

Albania faces international scrutiny over suspected toxic waste trafficking

From exile, Albania’s ex deputy PM alleges massive corruption at top of SP leadership

Albania’s Food Safety Scandal Highlights Rule of Law Deficiencies Amid EU Accession Talks

Trump’s son-in-law plans major investment in Sazan, Albanian gov’t confirms

OP-ED

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Op-Ed

The Strategic Price of Non-Enlargement

By Albert Rakipi Tirana Times, June 30, 2026 – For

11 minutes ago

6 mins read

Op-Ed

The Political Myth of the “Beautiful Protest”

A Barthesian Reading By Diana Gëllçi, Ph.D. Tirana Times, June 30,

23 hours ago

3 mins read

Op-Ed

Architect to PM Rama: Cancel Elections, Become King

Reinier de Graaf’s open letter in The Albanian Files has become a

3 days ago

5 mins read

Op-Ed

A stronger Union for the Mediterranean for a stronger Mediterranean

By H.E. Ambassador Nasser Kamel, Secretary General of the Union for

6 days ago

5 mins read

Op-Ed

Tirana’s Towers, Albania’s New Pyramids?

How a criminal political economy built on concrete, dirty money

1 week ago

7 mins read

Op-Ed

The False Civil Society and the Real One

In Albania, real civic society is no longer in donor-funded

2 weeks ago

9 mins read

Op-Ed

“The Flamingo Revolution” Goes Beyond Kushner and the Birds

By Jezerca Tigani Tirana Times, June 15, 2026 – Every

2 weeks ago

12 mins read

Op-Ed

Berisha’s Return and Albania’s Unfinished Transition

Washington’s reported lifting of the U.S. travel ineligibility measure against

3 weeks ago

10 mins read

OP-ED

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The Strategic Price of Non-Enlargement

Op-Ed

By Albert Rakipi Tirana Times, June 30, 2026 – For more than two decades, the Western Balkans have lived inside the promise of European

11 minutes ago

6 mins read

The Political Myth of the “Beautiful Protest”

Op-Ed

A Barthesian Reading By Diana Gëllçi, Ph.D. Tirana Times, June 30, 2026 – A beautiful protest has been unfolding in Tirana for several weeks. What

23 hours ago

3 mins read

Albania Has Already Changed

3 weeks ago

3 mins read

Albania’s Civic Awakening: A Year After Rama’s Landslide, the Illusion of Invincibility Breaks

3 weeks ago

7 mins read

Strategic Italy: Where Is Albania?

4 weeks ago

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Germany’s New Enlargement Formula and Albania’s European Illusion

1 month ago

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Features and Culture

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This Auditorium Comes With a Price Tag -Corruption in Albania’s Public Universities

Culture

Corruption remains one of Albania’s most stubborn obstacles toward development and its dream for European integration. Although the country marked its biggest historical leap in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index for the year 2024, climbing by 18 places to rank 80th out of 180 states, corruption continues to cast roots

7 days ago

9 mins read

The Heart Of A Patriot That Beats For The People

Books·Culture

by Dr. Jorgji Kote Tirana Times, June 11, 2026 – ”Heart of a patriot” is the new book dedicated to Binali Yildirim, an outstanding political leader and personality in the modernization of Turkish state and society during the last 25 years; co-founder and former leader of the Party for Justice and Development

3 weeks ago

12 mins read

EU-Western Balkans Summit 2026: New Impetus for the Enlargement Debate?

Features·Western Balkans

By Odeta Barbullushi and Marina Vulovic Tirana Times, June 09, 2026 – A new proposal on enlargement was tabled by the French President Emmanuel Macron and the German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the EU-Western Balkans Summit in Tivat, Montenegro, on June 5, 2026. Its timing could not be more strategic:

3 weeks ago

10 mins read

The Pope, AI and the Future of Humanity

Features

The most important political text of the 21st century comes not from politicians but from Pope Leo XIV by Milena Harito I am an atheist, but today I can do nothing but thank Pope Leo XIV, who with his first encyclical, wrote the most reasonable and meaningful political text I

3 weeks ago

7 mins read

Canada’s Local Partnerships Drive Change Across Albania

Features

Tirana Times, June 01, 2026 – As Albania continues to strengthen democratic governance, promote inclusive growth, and support sustainable community-driven development, Canada is positioning itself as a constructive and pragmatic partner through one of its most distinctive instruments of international engagement: the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives. Known as CFLI, the program

4 weeks ago

5 mins read

H.E. Marco Alberti, Ambassador of Italy to Albania

Transforming friendship into a strategic partnership: the common challenge for Italy and Albania

Features·Headline·International

Tirana Times, May 28, 2026 – The importance, depth and complexity of relations between Albania and Italy can never be overstated. Just over one year after he assumed the diplomatic post of Ambassador of Italy to Albania, Tirana Times editor in chief Jerina Zaloshnja carried out this interview with ambassador

1 month ago

6 mins read

Features and Culture

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This Auditorium Comes With a Price Tag -Corruption in Albania’s Public Universities

Culture

Corruption remains one of Albania’s most stubborn obstacles toward development and its dream for European integration. Although the country marked its biggest historical leap in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index for the year 2024, climbing by 18 places to rank 80th out of 180 states, corruption continues to cast roots

7 days ago

9 mins read

Most Viewed

Why the world calls us ‘Albania’ and the origin of ‘Shqiperi’

“Give me a Laboratory and I Will Move the World”

Gjirokastra Qifqi: The magic of traditional cooking

Analysis: Bells toll for Albania’s demographics as census results confirm corrosive effects of massive emigration

Privatization of Butrint: How Albania is Selling Off Its Archaeological Heritage

1980s icon Simaku returns to the spotlight after decades of emigration hardship

Qatar Square to serve as Tirana’s newest hub and vital part of New Boulevard project

2025- Tirana the Mediterranean capital of culture and dialogue

‘Harnex.io’ – Stirring the pot with a tech revolution…and bold ideas!

THE HISTORY OF AN ART GALLERY

Western Balkans

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The Cost of Non Enlargement: Why the EU Cannot Afford to Leave the Western Balkans Behind

Western Balkans

Tirana Times, June 29, 2026 – For years, the debate on European Union enlargement has been dominated by the presumed costs of admitting new

14 minutes ago

7 mins read

EU-Western Balkans Summit 2026: New Impetus for the Enlargement Debate?

Features·Western Balkans

By Odeta Barbullushi and Marina Vulovic Tirana Times, June 09, 2026 – A new proposal on enlargement was tabled by the French President Emmanuel

3 weeks ago

10 mins read

Serbia Faces Mounting Scrutiny as Democratic Backsliding Deepens

Western Balkans

Serbia could lose €1.36 billion from the EU Growth Plan over rule of law and democratic concerns, according to the European Movement in Serbia.

3 months ago

3 mins read

Do the Balkans really want EU membership?

Western Balkans

By Daniel Serwer Tirana Times, March 06, 2026 – While all eyes are on the Iran war, subtle but important changes are taking place

4 months ago

4 mins read

Strategic-Sector Governance Under Strain:The Bankers Petroleum Case and China-Linked Risk Exposure in Albania

Western Balkans

Tirana Times, February 25 2026 – Domestic governance gaps are the primary entry points through which foreign actors can generate corrosive outcomes in strategic

4 months ago

23 mins read

Russian Propaganda in North Macedonia

News·Western Balkans

by Agron Vrangalla Tirana Times, 08 February 2026 – Moscow systematically uses information manipulation as an instrument of foreign policy. In North Macedonia, Russian

5 months ago

6 mins read

NATO Values as Security Infrastructure: Evidence From Student Conversations

Western Balkans

In the Western Balkans, “security” is rarely an abstract concept. It is encountered as a lived condition, shaped by memory, geography and a persistent

6 months ago

6 mins read

Stability Has a Schedule: What NATO’s Hague Pledge Means for the Western Balkans

Western Balkans

In late August 2022, Montenegro’s government digital infrastructure was hit by what officials called an “unprecedented” cyberattack. The disruption was serious enough that parts

6 months ago

7 mins read

Premium

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Unexploded Ordnance Puts Jared Kushner’s Resort in Albania at Risk

Features·Premium

The government has paved the way for the construction of a resort on the island of Sazan, but beneath its crystal-clear waters and along

1 month ago

12 mins read

From a Unique Story of Bravery to the Dangers of Holocaust Denial

Premium

Challenging Communism’s Legacy and Conspiracy Theories on Anti-Semitism in Albania. By Albert Rakipi, PhD When Johanna Juta Neumann arrived in Durrës from Hamburg, she

2 months ago

13 mins read

Republic of Prosecutors or Republic of Corruption?

Premium

The question posed today is not whether there is corruption in governance, but whether there is any aspect of governance without corruption. by Blendi

4 months ago

9 mins read

From staunch enemy to strategic partner: Albanian-American relations in transition

Premium

In 1919, Vatra, a pan-Albanian association functioning as something of a shadow Albanian government in the United States, made an unprecedented request to Secretary

1 year ago

16 mins read

In a depopulating Albania, why is the PM campaigning on a promise to make it easier for young people to leave?

Op-Ed·Premium

If Rama wants to be the prime minister who ushers Albania into the European Union, he must first be the leader who makes Albania

1 year ago

6 mins read

United Arab Emirates ‘s Expanding Influence in Albania – Financial and Political Concerns

Headline·Op-Ed·Premium

By Tirana Times TIRANA, March 20th (Tirana Times ) The Albanian government has nearly doubled the projected cost of its “Smart City” initiative, now

1 year ago

6 mins read

News Analysis: A Geopolitical Shift in the Western Balkans?

Op-Ed·Premium·Western Balkans

Trilateral Defense Pact Between Albania, Croatia, and Kosovo Redefines Regional Security Architecture? A new security alignment is taking shape in Southeastern Europe, as three

1 year ago

7 mins read

Op/Ed: Is Albania slipping into a one-party system?

Features·Op-Ed·Premium

The head of Albania’s opposition, Sali Berisha(1), Albania’s former President and a former two-term Prime Minister, was arrested on Saturday, Dec. 30, 2023. Mr.

2 years ago

13 mins read

Premium

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Unexploded Ordnance Puts Jared Kushner’s Resort in Albania at Risk

Features·Premium

The government has paved the way for the construction of a resort on the island of Sazan, but beneath its crystal-clear waters and along

1 month ago

12 mins read

From a Unique Story of Bravery to the Dangers of Holocaust Denial

Premium

Challenging Communism’s Legacy and Conspiracy Theories on Anti-Semitism in Albania. By Albert Rakipi, PhD When Johanna Juta Neumann arrived in Durrës from Hamburg, she

2 months ago

13 mins read

Is Albania’s new dominant-party system here to stay?

3 years ago

10 mins read

Why tensions between Serbia and Kosovo are flaring

3 years ago

6 mins read

What do Albania’s upcoming municipal elections mean for foreign investors?

3 years ago

7 mins read

Concerns raised as Tirana mulls exiting ICSID over Becchetti affair €120-million judgement

3 years ago

8 mins read

Why Albania’s domestic PR wars are being fought abroad

3 years ago

6 mins read

Albania’s demographic bill comes due

4 years ago

14 mins read

Books

View All

The Heart Of A Patriot That Beats For The People

by Dr. Jorgji Kote Tirana Times, June 11, 2026 – ”Heart of a patriot” is the new book dedicated to Binali Yildirim, an outstanding political leader

3 weeks ago

12 mins read

Bringing Albania into History: Bernd J. Fischer and World War II

By Ilir Ikonomi One of the most important modern works ever written about Albania’s experience in the Second World War—Bernd Jürgen Fischer’s Albania at War,

7 months ago

5 mins read