Opening the event, OSCE Ambassador Michel Tarran stressed the importance of cooperation among institutions in tackling financial crime.

“No institution can fight corruption and money laundering on its own,” Tarran said, reaffirming the OSCE Presence’s commitment to bringing institutions together, providing expertise and technical assistance, and promoting the exchange of international experience.

During the seminar, Ana Trstenjak, Deputy Director of Croatia’s Office for the Suppression of Corruption and Organised Crime, and Michail Throuvalas, a major in the Greek Police’s Organised Crime Directorate, shared their countries’ experience in investigating specific cases and the lessons learned.

Discussions focused on the need for cooperation at every stage of efforts to combat corruption and financial crime, from identifying suspicious transactions to tracing and confiscating assets obtained through illegal activities.

The seminar aimed to facilitate the exchange of expertise, strengthen cooperation among Albanian institutions and familiarise participants with international best practices, with a view to improving efforts to combat financial crime and protect public funds.

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Hoxha made the remarks at a panel discussion entitled “Europe Enlarging: The Case for Enlargement,” which also featured Germany’s Minister of State for European Affairs Günther Krichbaum and Kosovo’s chief negotiator Jeton Zulfaj.

In a social media post following the discussion on Wednesday, Hoxha highlighted the broad national consensus in Albania in favour of EU membership and the country’s commitment to translating that support into reforms and tangible results.

“For us, European integration is not about appearing ready. It is about being ready – through reforms, implementation and the decisions needed to become a fully functioning member of the European family,” he said.

Hoxha identified credibility, fairness and tangible progress as three essential principles for the success of EU enlargement.

He stressed the need for a clear roadmap, measurable targets and a merit-based process in which candidate countries’ fulfilment of their obligations is matched by an appropriate response from the EU.

“Merit must work both ways: when candidate countries meet their obligations, Europe must respond,” Hoxha said.

He also highlighted the importance of gradual integration ahead of formal membership, allowing citizens, businesses and institutions to experience the benefits and responsibilities of EU integration as reforms progress.

Referring to Berlin as a symbol of overcoming divisions and European reunification, Hoxha called for bold decisions in the face of hybrid threats, foreign interference, disinformation and geopolitical competition.

“Enlargement could prove to be one of the most effective investments Europe can make in its own security,” he said.

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The discussions focused on candidate countries’ progress and reform commitments, as well as the potential impact of enlargement on Europe’s security, democracy, economic competitiveness and strategic autonomy.

On the sidelines of the summit, Prime Minister Rama gave Euronews an interview on Albania’s journey towards EU membership and the challenges ahead.

He discussed the country’s progress in the accession process, noting that technical talks and meetings were ongoing to move towards the closure of the next negotiating clusters.

During his visit to Brussels, Prime Minister Rama also met with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the alliance’s headquarters.

Rutte welcomed progress in Albania’s defence sector and praised the country’s commitment to meeting its NATO obligations.

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The situation was calm, with no incidents or clashes with police forces reported.

Protesters are demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama and a complete overhaul of the country’s political class. However, past demonstrations have been marred by violence and intense clashes with the police.

While the head of government has repeatedly called for dialogue, these invitations have been consistently rejected. /gj.m/j.p/p.s./

The two discussed Albania’s path towards EU membership and the country’s unwavering commitment to reforms and sustainable progress.

The ministers highlighted Germany’s strong support for EU enlargement and their shared determination to ensure a credible, merit-based accession process that translates reforms into tangible steps towards full membership.

In a post on social media platform X following the meeting, Hoxha stressed that “Germany is a key partner and a strong supporter of Albania’s European journey”.

“We greatly value this partnership and look forward to working even more closely together to strengthen our bilateral relations and advance our shared European future,” the Foreign Minister said.

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Yet threats to the country’s digital infrastructure are not the only growing concern. Disinformation, the manipulation of information and the spread of fabricated content are also increasingly being used to deepen divisions and erode public confidence in democratic institutions.

The figures were announced by Deputy Prime Minister Albana Koçiu at the National Cybersecurity Conference, organised by the National Cyber Security Authority (AKSK) under the theme “Building Cyber Resilience: Strengthening the Frontline of Defence”.

The event was attended by US Ambassador Eric Wendt, chargé d’affaires of the European Union Delegation André Rizzo, representatives of state institutions, critical infrastructure operators, private sector representatives and international partners.

In her address, Koçiu stressed that cybersecurity should not be viewed merely as the protection of computer systems, servers or technological networks, as it is directly linked to the functioning of the state, citizens’ security and their trust in institutions.

Referring to the 2022 cyberattack orchestrated by Iran against Albania’s digital infrastructure, the Deputy Prime Minister described it as a turning point in the country’s approach to cybersecurity.

“Albania learned this the hard way. In 2022, the cyberattack orchestrated by Iran against our digital infrastructure confronted us with a new reality. It showed us that a country can be severely hit without a single soldier crossing its borders, and that an attack on digital systems can seek to achieve the same result as an attack on physical infrastructure: disrupting the functioning of the state and undermining public trust in institutions,” Koçiu said.

According to figures released by Koçiu, 51 cyber incidents were recorded in 2025, while 25 were registered between January and September 2026.

However, beyond attacks targeting systems and critical infrastructure, Koçiu noted that the digital space had also become a battleground for another struggle: the fight for truth. She said fabricated videos, information manipulation, deceptive content and the use of algorithms could be exploited to fuel divisions, create confusion and sow distrust in democratic institutions.

She said these risks should be clearly distinguished from citizens’ exercise of their right to protest, which remains a fundamental element of democracy.

“A strong democracy requires citizens to distinguish facts from manipulation and form their own views on the basis of reliable information,” Koçiu stressed.

She also highlighted the impact of artificial intelligence, which, on the one hand, creates new opportunities to identify and prevent cyberattacks but, on the other, can be used to develop more sophisticated and harder-to-detect threats.

Koçiu stressed that despite improvements in cybersecurity, threats were becoming increasingly sophisticated as technology and artificial intelligence advanced. She underlined the need to invest both in technology and human resources to strengthen the country’s cyber defences.

In this context, she said that operators of critical infrastructure had invested more than €28 million in cybersecurity over the past year.

Koçiu also highlighted the legal and institutional measures taken, including the adoption of the new Cybersecurity Law and the National Strategy in 2024, as well as ongoing efforts to align Albania’s legal framework and institutions with European Union standards.

According to Koçiu, the challenge now extends beyond protecting digital infrastructure to safeguarding information integrity and public trust, both of which are essential to institutional resilience and the functioning of democracy.

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Deputy Defence Minister Blerina Abrazhda attended the meeting, highlighting Albania’s commitment to building a stronger search and rescue system, with enhanced capabilities and a more effective response.

She emphasised that strengthening this system is not only a national priority but also a shared regional and international responsibility.

Discussions focused on coordinating search and rescue operations, assessing the SAR capabilities and assets of member countries, and streamlining procedures for conducting cross-border operations.

As part of the event, the 28th meeting of the Expert Group and the 29th meeting of the RASARAC Member States’ Steering Board were also held.

The meeting precedes the inter-institutional aeronautical search and rescue exercise SAREX-2026, scheduled to take place tomorrow, with the aim of testing operational readiness and strengthening coordination between institutions in responding to emergency situations.

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During an interview with Maria Tadeo at the Euronews Enlargement Summit, while discussing the protests in the country, Rama noted that there were indeed violent protesters; however, unlike in any other countries that have faced such painful episodes, the party that suffered the most in Albania was the police.

When asked by journalist Maria Tadeo about the protests that have taken place over the last few months, Rama replied that, ” Albania has moved into a different phase. We’ve taken a historic step forward, shifting from meeting basic needs to managing high expectations. People’s standards have risen. The history of democratic nations proves that there comes a moment when you must address not just basic survival, but the high expectations of your citizens. Moreover, this is not unique to us—it is happening everywhere. The situation is even more complex for countries that fail to recognize this shift, as we face a new reality that challenges our shared world: the realm of social media. These are two distinct worlds. Having witnessed and experienced this firsthand, I see it as a force capable of creating a profoundly fractured encounter with reality,” said Rama.

The head of government noted that during protests in Albania, “With twice as many police officers injured as protesters, law enforcement suffered the most casualties during these protests. However, social media—and the TV stations that rely on it for news—portrayed the events in Albania as nothing but police brutality. The reality we face now is a generation growing up in a completely separate information bubble,” he emphasized. /e.i/a.f/r.e/p.s./

The discussion focused on Albania’s EU accession agenda, the importance of maintaining the momentum of negotiations and the role of parliaments in advancing reforms and aligning Albanian legislation with the EU *acquis*.

In a social media post, Balla emphasized the importance of support from European partners in this historic process. He also expressed the expectation that once negotiations are concluded, the Romanian Parliament will promptly ratify the agreement for Albania’s accession into the European Union.

Balla described EU membership as a national strategic objective, one that requires sustained commitment, institutional responsibility and close cooperation with European partners. During this visit, Balla is accompanied by Socialist Party MPs Ermal Elezi and Loer Kume. /m.q/r.e/a.f/p.s./

Rama made the remarks during an interview with Euronews journalist Maria Tadeo at the Euronews Enlargement Summit, a high-level forum focusing on European Union enlargement and the membership prospects of candidate countries.

Asked about the Student List’s electoral victory in Serbia and Vučić’s defeat, Rama said the group had shown no willingness to reconsider its position on Kosovo’s recognition.

“What I know is that the winners in Belgrade are showing no openness on what is the issue closest to my heart and to the hearts of Albanians: the recognition of Kosovo. They are entirely closed to this issue, which means that the ‘music’ in Belgrade will not change,” Rama said.

The government head also stressed Serbia’s importance to regional stability and said the country should not abandon its European integration path.

He warned that Serbia’s withdrawal from the European project would have negative consequences for the entire Western Balkans, arguing that the ultimate goal should be the full integration of the region into the European Union.

“Serbia is a very important part of the Western Balkans mosaic. I have always advocated against allowing Serbia to move in the wrong direction and, in a way, abandon the European project, because this would primarily harm our entire region,” Rama said.

However, he stressed that Serbia must meet its obligations before joining the EU, particularly regarding the normalisation of relations with Kosovo and its policy towards Russia.

“On the other hand, we know how things work: if you want to join the European Union, you have to deliver on a range of issues. On certain matters, Serbia has demonstrated reluctance, not only regarding the normalisation of relations with Kosovo, but also its position towards Russia, sanctions and other issues,” he said.

“We need Serbia to be with us and to be part of a neighbourhood fully integrated into the European Union. But, once again, Serbia must demonstrate results and fully earn its place by delivering on all the requirements that are non-negotiable in its relations with the European Union,” Rama added.

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