Moving Albanian Drug Money, on Trust or in Crypto
Investigators have documented the use of foreign exchange offices in Albania to move drug money, either in crypto or via a centuries-old, trust-based system called Hawala.
How Albania Became a Hub of the Global Fraud Industry
Organised crime networks are using call centres in Albania to defraud people across Europe, conning them with promises of big profits from scam investments and employing sophisticated social-engineering techniques.
Protesters in Albania Demand ‘Justice’ in Kosovo Wartime Leaders’ Trial
Protesters in the Albanian capital expressed anger at the ongoing trial of wartime Kosovo Liberation Army officers at the Specialist Chambers in The Hague, saying the defendants were freedom fighters, not criminals.
War Veterans’ Protest Sparks Tension Between Kosovo and Albania PMs
A protest planned for Friday in Tirana – against the Hague war crimes court’s trial of former Kosovo President Hashim Thaci – has reignited feuding between Albania’s premier Edi Rama and the biggest party in Kosovo.
October 27, 2025
Bosnian Serb Leader’s ‘Capitulation’ is Just a Tactical Retreat
Milorad Dodik may have formally stepped down as Republika Srpska’s president after being legally barred from office – but he still hopes to carry on pulling the strings.
October 24, 2025
ARTE Europe Weekly: What’s the EU Doing About Its Doctor Shortage?
Across the European Union, the healthcare system is short of around 1.2 million doctors, nurses, and midwives. But what is being done to close the gap?
October 24, 2025
In North Macedonia, Albanian-Run Festival Thrives as ‘Bridge Between Cultures’
Shaip Emerllahu, the director of the ‘Days of Naim’ international poetry festival in Tetovo, North Macedonia, tells BIRN about his decades-long struggle for Albanian rights – and how poetry works as a cultural connector.
October 24, 2025
Week in Review: Vanishing Acts and Deep Divisions
From Washington and London to Pristina and Skopje, our selection of Balkan Insight Premium stories this week takes you through elections, summits, punitive lawsuits – and a very dangerous game.
October 24, 2025
Democracy Digest: Budapest No-Shows Take Shine off Orban’s ‘Peace Procession’
Elsewhere, Slovak court sentences Fico shooter to 21 years for terrorism; post-election coalition negotiations continue in Czechia; and Poland and Romania detain eight people suspected of planning logistics sabotage on behalf of Russia.
October 24, 2025
Delayed Energy Reforms Force Romania to Keep Burning Coal
Persistent delays to energy reforms, financial uncertainties and political indecision threaten to derail Romania’s long-promised exit from hard coal energy production.
October 20, 2025
Prague’s 13th Signal Festival Shines New Light on Old Buildings
September 23, 2025
In Moldova’s Breakaway Transnistria Region, Life is Bittersweet
September 17, 2025
Danish Photographer Presents ‘Images of Resilience’ from Kosovo War
September 8, 2025
