Albania

Social security system shows signs of improvement despite challenges in a comprehensive report published by the Social Insurance Institute of Albania framing the positive impact of wage increases on the pension scheme in 2023

Tirana Airport served 577.753 passengers in February, up from 341.247 a year ago; in terms of destinations, London UK led with 53.358 passengers, closely followed by Italian airports Milano Orio, Rome and Pisa

According to critics, the government is not doing enough to protect Albanian textile exporters from the rapidly strengthening lek currency; most of the industry's employees are women who risk slipping into poverty

After years of negotiations, Albania and Italy signed the long-awaited agreement on the recognition of reciprocal social security contributions, which will benefit over 500.000 Albanians living in Italy and all Italians who have worked in Albania

Painting in Darkness', a documentary on Lulzim Beqiri, a painter imprisoned during the communist regime because his art did not conform to the ideology of the ruling party, was screened for the first time in Tirana

Italians are the leading group of foreign tourists in Albania in 2023, compared to other European or regional countries, excluding Kosovo, which traditionally outnumbers other areas; around 1 million Italians visited Albania last year, 9% of the total

The Albanian Information Technology Agency has opened tender procedures for a project with an estimated value of 578 million lek (€5,5 million) to improve the electronic platform for government services, e-Albania

Uplift Albania, the first European start-up accelerator in Albania, launched its fifth programme to support the country's start-ups

Voltalia, an international operator in renewable energies, has started production of its 140 MW solar project, in Fier district in southern Albania; the Karavasta plant will be able to generate electricity equivalent to the consumption of 220.000 people

The Albanian Parliament has suffered a cyber attack by hackers who tried to break into its data system, causing a temporary interruption of its services, but would not 'touch the system's data' - they declared

The Albanian parliament will have to suspend ratification of a dibated migration pact agreed with Italy after a top court endorsed an opposition request to review the constitutionality of the deal

At least 1.700 organised criminals from Albania are at large in the UK, British police fear; officers from the Metropolitan Police and the National Crime Agency have requested documents from the Albanian authorities on each of the suspects