—🇦🇱 NEW: PM Edi Rama has announced plans to make Albania a cashless society by the end of the decade.

The "Albania 2030" initiative aims to digitize all financial transactions and eliminate the use of cash.

🔗 kos_data

✅ Follow us on @balkanspectator

—☦️🇷🇸 WATCH: St. Sava Temple in Belgrade is one of the largest churches in the world!

With its stunning dome soaring over 70 meters, it’s a breathtaking symbol of faith and culture.

🔗 Global Dissident

✅ Follow us on @balkanspectator

—🇪🇺/🇦🇱 The European Parliament on Albania's EU membership:

Albania is getting closer to joining the EU – but it has to do more 🇦🇱🤝🇪🇺

MEPs welcome progress such as Albania fully aligning with the EU’s foreign and security policy.

However, protecting the rule of law, fundamental rights and combatting corruption demand improvements.

🔗 European Parliament on X

✅ Follow us on @balkanspectator

—🇽🇰/🇲🇪 NEW: A Kosovo Albanian competitor in diving has been disqualified and banned from all competitions in Montenegro after making the Albanian eagle hand gesture 👐🏼 during an event.

🔗 kos_data

✅ Follow us on @balkanspectator

—🇭🇺/🇷🇸/🇷🇺 BREAKING: Hungary and Serbia have discussed the construction of an oil pipeline to transport Russian oil, with Russian representatives also participating in the talks, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said.

🔗 The National Independent

✅ Follow us on @balkanspectator

—🇹🇷/🇮🇱/🇸🇾 NEW: Erdogan accuses Israel of undermining Syrian stability with reckless attacks.

Turkish President Erdogan condemned recent Israeli strikes in Syria, calling Israel “a mad beast” acting irrationally and claiming it deliberately seeks to sabotage efforts to stabilize the region.

📰 Source: Balkan Spectator Newsroom

✅ Follow us on @balkanspectator

—❗️🇧🇦 URGENT: International community initiates process to remove High Representative Schmidt.

According to Istraga, multiple diplomatic sources confirm that U.S.-involved talks are underway to end Christian Schmidt’s mandate by late 2025. At the same time, Croatian officials are urging him to use his Bonn Powers to impose permanent changes to Bosnia’s Election Law that would secure HDZ's ability to appoint a Croat member of the Presidency.

✅ Follow us on @balkanspectator

—🇷🇸/🇧🇦 NEW: Normalization in Bosnia and Herzegovina is possible only if the illegitimate High Representative Christian Schmidt’s decisions are revoked, said Republic of Srpska President Milorad Dodik.

🔗 The National Independent

✅ Follow us on @balkanspectator

—🇲🇰 Is the “Skopje 2014” project making a comeback?

In August 2024, North Macedonia’s new government announced plans to revive the controversial urban project “Skopje 2014”, an ambitious neoclassical transformation of the capital’s city center.

As of today, however, no significant progress has been made. The government has acknowledged that several structures remain unfinished and that their legal status and funding options are currently under review, with a view to possibly completing them in 2026.

Launched in 2010, the project aimed to symbolically link the country to ancient Macedonia and Alexander the Great, but was widely criticized for its high cost, kitsch aesthetics, and its role in heightening identity tensions with Greece and Bulgaria.

👉 For now, “Skopje 2014” remains a static and controversial legacy, rather than an active development.

📰 Balkan Spectator Newsroom

✅ Follow us on @balkanspectator