TIRANA TIMES EDITORIAL Albania’s troubles with the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) seem to be expanding well beyond the infamous case of settling over the closure of Agon Channel and the hefty fine of 120 million euros
One way out of this awkward and unpleasant conundrum is for Open Balkans to retreat into a smaller, softer, cultural blend of cultural diplomacy with concerts, fairs and all the glittery shows its proponents are truly masters of. TIRANA TIMES
TIRANA TIMES EDITORIAL Almost the day after he handed over the office of the head of state, Ilir Meta, one of Albania’s top political leaders for nearly 30 years, was faced with “a scoop” by government-friendly media outlets claiming that
Criticism of a new management plan for the national park, and the AADF’s involvement, is unwarranted, misguided or malicious. TIRANA TIMES EDITORIAL An ongoing debate over a new management plan for the Butrint National Park has been taking place in
By Alba Cela When Albania joined the United Nations in 1955, the communist dictatorship had already consolidated and Enver Hoxha’s hands were already bloody with the political murder of his rivals and his imagined potential enemies. The foundations of a
The upcoming local by-elections in six municipalities to pick mayors for a short mandate would have been routine and without any special political significance in different circumstances. But because of the dramatic developments within the Democratic Party, Albania’s main opposition
TIRANA TIMES EDITORIAL In what has become an annual grim ritual, the focus is back this week on Albania’s GDP per capita and the purchasing power of its citizens. The result remains the same it has been for years: Albania
The outdated Russian term Telefonyi Zakon or the so-called Rule of Telephone law, refers to “a practice by which outcomes of legal cases allegedly come from orders issued over the phone by those with political power”. The practice itself remains
TIRANA TIMES EDITORIAL The principle of the Open Balkan Initiative — it’s ultimate goal being an EU-style regional borderless movement of people and goods — is not a problem per se, as it is in line with what EU integration
The loss of its people to migration is now Albania’s top crisis. And the government needs to act immediately to mitigate the problem instead of the usual attention diversion stories of “Albanian satellites” launched into space. TIRANA TIMES EDITORIAL “We
