| Dear reader,
TIRANA 18. September 2021: Immediately after the swearing in of the new government to the President of the Republic and the completion of the procedures provided in the Constitution for the beginning of the government, the new Council of Ministers is expected to take the first decisions.
The "Rama 3" government was approved with 77 votes in favor in Parliament yesterday morning, after a marathon meeting, where the new governments program for the next four years was presented .
The 5 main pillars of the SP program are:
1. Economic recovery from earthquake and pandemic;
2. Welfare for all, which will translate into a developed economy that creates opportunities for all.
3. Modernization for the development of a productive economy, tourism, energy, agriculture, digital economy, transport and services;
4. The family as the foundation where we build the future;
5. Strong Albania, with a strong state, attention for every Albanian and with dignity in the world.
The Socialist Party under the leadership of Edi Rama has entered the history of Albania, receiving a third consecutive term, thus becoming the first party that has managed to secure this result in the history of elections in the country. The Socialists have managed to get 74 seats, enough to govern alone, without the need for a coalition, while the DP 59 got seats, while the SMI got 4 seats. (Shqiptarja)
TIRANA 14 September 2021: Angela Merkel visited the Albanian capital Tirana on Tuesday, the last stop on a brief farewell Balkan tour which saw the German chancellor encourage the countries in the region to push ahead with reforms to improve their chances of joining the European Union.
“I would like to congratulate Albania on its efforts in recent years to reconstruct its justice system,” Merkel told a joint press conference with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama.
She said that “North Macedonia and Albania have met the conditions to start [EU] membership negotiations”, but a start date for accession talks has not been agreed yet because Bulgaria imposed a veto over its dispute on mutual historical issues with North Macedonia. Read on....
TIRANA 12. September 2021- After more than four years of reconstruction, the National Theater of Opera and Ballet opened its doors to art lovers in a gala evening on September 15. Famous Placido Domingo and Ermonela Jaho took the stage at the inauguration of the theater. The orchestra was conducted by English conductor Martin Andre.
The reconstruction of the National Theater of Opera and Ballet started in January 2017. In an interview for 'Report Tv', the Minister of Culture Elva Margariti said that the theater has been re-conceptualized with two balconies, while maximum acoustics have been provided. The initial reconstruction project was ALL 1.2 billion, but an additional budget has been used to achieve modern standards. Click picture to watch video.
An Albanian talent in top fashion:
London-based Albanian designer Nensi Dojaka 'shell-shocked' after being handed the prestigious LVMH prize for emerging talent at the Louis Vuitton Foundation in Paris by a jury including Stella McCartney and Marc Jacobs. Read more...
TIRANA 11. September 2021: A visit from Saudi Arabia
Saudi MFA Faisal bin Farhan: I had the pleasure of visiting the Republic of Albania and was honored to convey the greetings of the Kingdom’s leadership to Prime Minister Edi Rama. We also discussed strengthening our cooperation in all fields, building on the strong friendship between our two countries.
TIRANA 16. Septmeber 2021: Albania joined EU COVID-19 travel certificate regulation
Albania has become the second Western Balkan country, after North Macedonia, to have its digital COVID-19 travel certificates accepted as equal to those issued by the EU.
This means that Albania, like North Macedonia since August, will now be connected to the EU’s digital Common Pass system, and all its citizens who have been vaccinated, have tested negative or have recovered from COVID-19, will be able to obtain a digital travel certificate.
The EU Digital COVID-19 Certificate Regulation entered into force on July 1, 2021. The EU has so far included 42 countries into it – its 27 member states plus 15 outer non-EU countries.
Entering Albania:
Albania has introduced conditions for entering the country for the first time since the pandemic started. It is now mandatory to have confirmation of a vaccine, a negative PCR or positive serological test or confirmation of recovery from COVID-19. Otherwise, quarantine is mandatory on arrival, for 10 days.
That´s all for now,
sincerely,
Hans-Georg Nielsen
Albanian Honorary Consul
Comments and suggestions are welcome on hgn(at)albanskkonsulat.dk
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