Now playing Next Albania Brussels must not invent new conditions for EU membership, says Merkel The comments came as Merkel was in the Western Balkans meeting heads of government from Albania, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo. 15/09/2021
Now playing Next world news Western Balkans cautious amid surge of COVID-19 infections In southwestern Serbia, some school classes will be held online due to the high numbers of new coronavirus cases. 31/08/2021
Now playing Next Uncovering Europe As EU membership stalls, Balkan nations create their own mini-Schengen From 2023 no one will stop you from Belgrade to Tirana, said Serbia's president, talking about plans for a "mini-Schengen" zone in the Balkans. 31/08/2021
Now playing Next no comment Albania: first arrivals of afghan refugees The first group of refugees fleeing the Taliban after their takeover of Kabul have arrived in Albania in the early morning of Friday. 27/08/2021
Now playing Next Albania Albania repatriates 19 family members of dead ISIS fighters from Syria A few hundred Albanians joined the Islamic State militant group in Iraq and Syria and most were killed. Since then, their families have been stuck in camps. 01/08/2021
Now playing Next Uncovering Europe Could North Macedonia be the graveyard of the EU's ideals? "If my mother tongue, the Macedonian language, is the reason we can’t move closer to the EU, then the EU is not really what we thought it was – a community of values." 20/07/2021
Now playing Next Albania Ex-Albanian police officer jailed for killing that sparked protests A former Albanian police officer was given a 10-year sentence for fatally shooting a man during a COVID-19 curfew patrol in December. 14/07/2021
Now playing Next Focus 5 routes that offer a look at Western Balkan history and culture Travel back in time to the Bronze Age, the Byzantine period and more on the Crossroads of Civilisations routes in the Western Balkans. 08/07/2021
Now playing Next Albania Three Albanian police officers arrested in major drug-trafficking bust Thirty-eight Albanian nationals including a prosecutor, a government department head and three senior police officers have been arrested for drug trafficking, corruption, abuse of post and money laundering. 02/07/2021
Now playing Next Series The cosmic egg hat: Is this Albanian hat about to catch on? Eva zu Beck learns how to make a qeleshe - a traditional hat in Albania. 10/06/2021
Now playing Next Albania Albanian MPs have just voted to impeach their president Albanian MPs have voted to impeach President Ilir Meta for allegedly violating the constitution ahead of Albania's April election. 09/06/2021
Now playing Next Series Tirana's best food and other traditions you have to try In this episode of Rerouted: The Balkans, Eva zu Beck experiences Tirana's buzzing foodie culture. 03/06/2021
Now playing Next Cult The trails in the Western Balkans worth the trek The Illyricum Trail combines wine tasting with visiting ancients sites. The Balkan Monumental Trail celebrates abstract and modernist monuments from the second half of the 20th century. Where can these unique cultural routes be found? The Western Balkans. 31/05/2021
Now playing Next Albania US sanctions Albanian ex-PM Sali Berisha over corruption The State Department barred former Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha from entering US territory over accusations of "significant corruption." 19/05/2021
Now playing Next Albania Albanian President says impeachment investigation is "illegal" Albanian MPs have begun an impeachment process against President Ilir Meta, who they accuse of violating the constitution during last month's election. 18/05/2021
Now playing Next Kosovo Italian, Albanian and Kosovan police seize more than 400kg of cocaine Italian police estimated that the seized drugs had a European market value of more than €100 million, a record for Kosovo. 18/05/2021
Now playing Next the global conversation “Europe is a religion and nobody can betray this religion in Albania,” said Albania's Prime Minister Global Conversation interviews Albania’s Prime Minister Edi Rama ahead of the State of the Union conference in Florence and discusses the country's ongoing efforts to join the European Union. 10/05/2021
Now playing Next Europe News Splitting EU bids of North Macedonia & Albania 'not possible' Brussels had been considering both applications alongside each other, but last week Olivér Várhelyi, the European commissioner for enlargement, told Euronews that decoupling the bids "might be an option" if Bulgaria continues to oppose North Macedonia's entrance in the bloc. 10/05/2021
Now playing Next Republic of North Macedonia EU's credibility 'undermined' if North Macedonia delayed from joining On Thursday it emerged Brussels could press ahead in talks with Albania over membership of the EU, leaving North Macedonia behind. 07/05/2021
Now playing Next Albania New bid to put Albania's ex-defence minister on trial over 2008 blast 26 people were killed when a munitions disposal factory exploded near the capital Tirana in 2008. 07/05/2021