Damian Gjiknuri

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama (left) and Socialist Party secretary-general Damian Gjiknuri. Photo: LSA

The opposition claims that the scheme would allow criminal to launder proceeds of illegal activities, in a country where money-laundering and organised crime are a serious concern.

Socialist Party MP Damian Gjiknuri speaking to journalists after failure to agree on electoral reform on May 31 2020. Photo: LSA

Prime Minister Edi Rama on Friday axed seven of his 14 ministers after a year of popular protests against government policies.

Rama summoned the National Assembly of his governing Socialist Party in Tirana and insisted that the changes were "not the result of failures".

Two former directors of the Albanian Road Authority are among 11 people arrested by an Elbasan court order over the procurement of a road that was never properly built.

Dashamir Xhika, former director of the Authority between 2013 and 2017, was arrested and accused of abuse of office.

The workers rallied outside the Ministry of Energy on Thursday after leaving the previous morning on a march from the southern city of Fier, where the refinery is located, to urge officials to intervene.

They are seeking the payment of two months' worth of as-yet-unpaid wages, plus a 13 further months of wages that they say have gone unpaid for several years.

Albania's Ministry of Energy on Friday in Tirana unveiled a preliminary feasibility study for a proposed Ionian-Adriatic gas pipeline, hoping the EU may fund construction of the section of the pipeline between Albania and Montenegro.

 A 40-year-old worker, Shkelqim Muca, died and five others were wounded after an explosion at the Ballsh oil refinery in southern Albania.

The explosion happened while 300 workers were on a shift, 11 of them in the hydro-cleaning sector where the blast happened. Workers told the media tell that the flames from the explosion burned for around 20 minutes.

The Albanian Supreme State Audit, KLSH, said on Wednesday that it was suing energy minister Damian Gjiknuri and state attorney Alma Hicka over the agreement with CEZ, which used to administrate energy distribution in Albania and is 70 per cent owned by the Czech government.

The prices of energy resources in all Balkan countries may drop if the national grids are connected, according to Damian Gjiknuri, President in Office of the Energy Community.

Albania delayed by a month to mid-July the bidding for companies keen to explore for oil and gas on five onshore blocks and indefinitely for two offshore blocks, officials said on Monday.

A week before offers for the onshore bids were due on June 15, Energy Minister Damian Gjiknuri ordered the bidding date be postponed for another month to give companies more time.