Albania
M&A hits €8.5bn in CEE in Q1, says Mergermarket
Trend towards bigger deals and more fund investment continues, as deal value rises by half to give best Q1 since 2013.
wiiw raises 2021 CEE growth forecast to 3.8%
But pandemic has delayed restart of convergence with Western Europe until 2023.
Slovenian PM denies Bosnian media reports on ‘non-paper’ about dividing Bosnia
Populist premier, who will take over EU rotating presidency in July, is accused of proposing "final disintegration of former Yugoslavia".
Army sent into Tirana airport after strike grounds all flights
Strike grounded flights at Albania’s only operational international airport as air traffic controllers protested against layoffs and pay cuts.
Albanians’ online purchases surged in 2020
Online purchases were made by 19.5% of the population aged 16-74 in 2020, as the pandemic caused an uptick in online retail across the region.
CEE reels as third wave of COVID-19 breaks
A third wave of the coronavirus pandemic is sweeping through Emerging Europe. While Russia is expecting to reach herd immunity in the next two months, most other countries of the region have only just started their mass immunisation programmes.
“Extensive” solar opportunities, potential for wind and geothermal power in Albania
Irena report identifies opportunities for solar, wind and geothermal energy as Albania moves away from reliance on hydropower.
Vaccination campaigns launched across Western Balkans
After months of delays, all of the Western Balkans countries have embarked on the vaccination of their populations against coronavirus.
OBITUARY: Election campaigns suspended after former Albanian PM Bashkim Fino dies of COVID-19
A rare unifying figure in a divided country, Fino led Albania away from the brink of civil war after the collapse of huge Ponzi schemes in 1997.
BALKAN BLOG: Albania’s opposition tries to take over Socialists’ EU accession mantle
Denied the chance to launch EU accession talks despite years of reforms, Prime Minister Edi Rama has criticised EU officials ahead of the April general election, allowing the opposition Democrats to present themselves as the new pro-EU party.
E-commerce rising stars of the Western Balkans
Despite numerous challenges, there are a growing number of successful e-commerce platforms in the Western Balkans region.
MITTELEUROPEAN INSIGHTS: Central and Southeastern Europe head for a V-shaped recovery
The moderate GDP setbacks in 2020 imply that for some CEE countries there will not be such drastic recovery and rebound effects in 2021 as in hard-hit countries in Western Europe.
Eco groups vow to fight on against Albania’s new Vlora airport
Opponents are planning an international campaign and don’t rule out a legal challenge to the new international airport in protected wetland.
Albania’s foreign trade deficit increases in February
Imports pushed up by higher purchases of machinery and equipment, while pandemic-hit garment manufacturing sector continued to drag down exports.
Rising inflation in Emerging Europe poses dilemma for central banks
With economies primed to rebound as pandemic restrictions are loosened, consumer prices could rise even further, reawakening an issue that has long been ignored.
Albanian president in scuffle with police at opposition party HQ
President Ilir Meta clashed physically with police at the headquarters of the opposition New Democratic Spirit party as tensions rise ahead of April general election.
COMMENT: The EIB supports the long-term recovery of the Western Balkans
The region’s economy needs to be more sustainable and connected, which can only be achieved through the digital and green transformation, writes EIB vice-president Lilyana Pavlova.
Lower oil and gas prices dragged down Albania’s PPI in 4Q20
Albania's Producer Price Index was down by 3.4% y/y in the final quarter of 2020, despite rising compared to Q3.
Facebook says ads from Albanian political parties should be transparent
Ahead of April general election, social media giant says all electoral and political ads in Albania must come from authorised advertisers.
New securities registry paves the way for first IPOs in Tirana
The Albanian Securities Registry, ALREG, launched its operations after joining the Bank of Albania’s real-time gross settlement system.
