Albania

Durazzo-Tirana on 9 May 2025 will be the first of three Albanian stages that will kick off the 108th edition of the Giro d'Italia - an iconic annual multiple-stage bicycle race; the Giro will start abroad for the 15th time in its century long history

Social network TikTok will be made unavailable for at least a year across the country starting in early 2025; the government will launch a series of programmes to 'foster the education of students and help parents track their children's education'

The 3rd Intergovernmental Conference, one more step on the path to EU membership, will be held in Brussels on 17 December and will focus on Cluster 6, covering external relations, foreign policy, security and defence

National laws may be compliant with international standards but weak oversight, corruption and cash economies hamper an effective battle against money-laundering, says new report on illicit finance in the Western Balkans

The elderly population is growing at an unprecedented rate, putting pressure on the national health system to adapt and provide adequate care; almost half of Albanians over the age of 65 present multiple health conditions

Only 1 in 8 companies in Albania paid taxes on profits in 2023, according to official data from the Ministry of Finance

An exhibition in Tirana entitled 'Letters from Hell', organised by the Albanian Institute for the Study of the Crimes and Consequences of Communism, displays the letters of political prisoners imprisoned under communist rule

Former President Ilir Meta, now leader of the opposition Freedom Party, was arrested on charges of corruption, money-laundering and non-declaration of assets

Plans to close the existing port of Durres and develop a new one some 6 km further north have been derailed, as the tender process for the development of the first phase of the new port failed to attract bidders

The country has the highest corruption rates, the highest pressure of officials to accept bribes and the highest victimisation of citizens by corruption within the Western Balkans

146,7 million Albanian lek ($1,6 million) will be distributed to residents hit by the natural disasters of 2016 and 2019, said the Minister of Defence, benefiting 1.039 residents in 17 municipalities, affected by earthquakes, floods, landslides and fires