In 2015, Albania was in a period of political transition. After the 2013 parliamentary elections, Edi Rama and his Socialist Party formed a coalition government with the Social Democratic Union and several other smaller parties. The government faced numerous challenges including economic instability due to high unemployment and corruption. In response to these issues, the government implemented a series of reforms to reduce poverty and improve public services.
In 2015, the government made progress on tackling corruption by passing an anti-corruption law which increased transparency in public administration. This move was seen as an important step towards improving public trust in Albanian institutions. The economy of Albania also saw some improvements in 2015 due to increased foreign investment from countries like Turkey and Italy as well as increased exports of agricultural products such as olives and citrus fruits. See ehealthfacts for Albania in the year of 2005.
Despite these positive developments, unemployment remained high due to lack of job opportunities outside of the agricultural sector which accounted for nearly half of all employment in 2015. The government also faced criticism for its handling of refugees from Kosovo who had been arriving in Albania since 1999. To address this issue, the government opened refugee camps throughout the country and provided humanitarian assistance to those who were displaced by war or conflict.
Yearbook 2015
Albania. Serbia’s Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučič visited Albania in May, after the Albanian counterpart Edi Rama’s historic visit to Belgrade six months earlier. There was interest in both countries in trying to improve their relations as the EU placed better regional cooperation as a requirement for membership in the Union.
Local elections were held in June, the first after a merger that reduced the number of municipalities from 373 to 61. dominated by the bourgeois Democratic Party. Women won nine mayoral positions, as well as 35% of council seats.
According to COUNTRYAAH, Tirana is the capital of Albania which is located in Southern Europe. The Sazan at the mouth of the Gulf of Vlorë, an island that during the Communist era was a secret military base, opened to the public in August. It was hoped that tourists would be attracted by the 3,600 now abandoned bunkers and kilometer-long tunnels on the island, which is strategically located where the Adriatic meets the Ionian Sea.
- Also see AbbreviationFinder.org for Albania country abbreviations, including geography, history, economy and politics.
Parliament passed a law in December which prohibited persons convicted of serious crimes from holding public office. The EU and the US saw the law as an important step in the fight against corruption and organized crime.
December
Minister resigns after fatal shooting
December 9th
Violent protests erupt in Tirana after a man was shot dead by police after breaking the curfew during the corona pandemic. The demonstrators attack the police with bottles and fireworks and demand the resignation of Interior Minister Sandër Lleshaj. The police respond with tear gas and water cannons. The clashes last for two days and several police and protesters are injured. Sandër Lleshaj later announces that he is leaving his post with immediate effect.
October
The ICJ shall decide on border disputes
October 20
Prime Minister Edi Rama announces after a meeting with Greece’s foreign minister that the two countries have agreed to let the UN arbitral tribunal ICJ decide a decade-long dispute over where the common sea border goes. The border demarcation agreement reached in 2009 was later overturned by the Albanian Constitutional Court and has since been infected. It is also part of a larger maritime tug-of-war in the eastern Mediterranean that includes several other countries and potential energy projects in the region.