Transport in Albania consists of transport by land, water and air, which are predominantly under the supervision of the Ministry of Infrastructure of Albania. The development and improvement of the transport in the country remains among the most important priorities of the Government of Albania.
The economy of Albania went through a process of transition from a centralized economy to a market-based economy on the principles of the free market.
Tirana International Airport Nënë Tereza, often referred to as the Rinas International Airport, is one of the two main international airports of the Republic of Albania. It serves the city of Tirana, its metropolitan area, and surrounding region in the county of Tirana. The airport is named in honor of the Albanian Roman Catholic nun and missionary, Mother Teresa (1910–1997). It is located 6 nautical miles northwest of Tirana, in the municipality of Krujë, Durrës County.
Tirana County, officially the County of Tirana, is a county in the Central Region of the Republic of Albania. It is the tenth largest by area and the most populous of the twelve counties, with more than 912,000 people within an area of 1,652 km2 (638 sq mi). The county borders on the Adriatic Sea to the west, the counties of Durrës to the northwest, Dibër to the northeast, Elbasan to the east and Fier to the southwest. It is divided into five municipalities, Tirana, Kamëz, Kavajë, Rrogozhinë and Vorë, with all of whom incorporate twenty-nine administrative units.
The European Border and Coast Guard Agency, commonly known as Frontex, is an agency of the European Union headquartered in Warsaw, Poland. In coordination with the border and coast guards of member states, it exercises border control of the European Schengen Area, a task within the area of freedom, security and justice domain. Formally, the Agency's remit is to "support Member States on the ground in their efforts to protect the external borders"; it does not have authority to act otherwise unless "external border control" [by a member state] "is rendered ineffective to such an extent that it risks jeopardising the functioning of the Schengen area".
In 1997, Albania experienced widespread civil unrest due to economic problems caused by the collapse of pyramid schemes. The large sums of money siphoned from the government to fund these schemes led to the collapse of the Democratic Party's government in January 1997. The conflict, which lasted until August 1997, resulted in the deaths of more than 2,000 people. The establishment of a new government occurred as revolutionaries surrounded Tirana. Various sources also describe the ensuing violence as a rebellion or even a civil war.
The Swiss Border Guard, known as the Swiss Border Guard Command was a federal law enforcement agency, which acted as both the border guard and customs service for Switzerland. It was a uniformed and armed section of the Federal Customs Administration, which is attached to the Federal Department of Finance. It was the largest civilian security agency on a federal level.
In 1991, the Socialist Party of Albania, with specific social democratic ideology took control of the country through democratic elections. One year later the Democratic Party of Albania won the new elections. After 1990, Albania has been seeking a closer relationship with the West. What followed were deliberate programs of economic and democratic reform, but the implementation of capitalism led to the proliferation of pyramid schemes. Chaos in late 1996 to early 1997, as a result of the collapse of these pyramid schemes, alarmed the world and prompted the influx of international peacekeeping forces. In 1995, Albania was accepted into the Council of Europe and requested membership in NATO and is a potential candidate country for accession to the European Union. The workforce of Albania has continued to emigrate to Western countries, especially Greece and Italy.
The A1, also commonly Rruga e Kombit or SH10, is the longest and only toll motorway in Albania, stretching 114 kilometres (71 mi) in the counties of Lezhë and Kukës. It consists for the most part of two traffic lanes and an emergency lane in each driving direction separated by a central reservation.
Border crossings in the Republic of Albania are defined as boundary checkpoints that serve to control the flow of people and goods from neighbouring countries to and from Albania. These checkpoints are administered by the border police authorities that record the entry and exit of each person and vehicle followed by the customs authorities that record the entry and exit of goods and cash. Albania currently has 22 operational land border crossings and shares borders with Montenegro, Kosovo, North Macedonia, and Greece. This article outlines a complete list of Albania's international border crossings, including land, sea and air entry points.
Kukës International Airport Zayed-North Wings, also referred to as Kukës International Airport Zayed, is an international airport in Kukës, Kukës County, Albania. The airport is located 3.5 km (2.2 mi) south of the city of Kukës. The main purpose of Kukës International Airport is to serve as an alternative airport to Tirana International Airport Nënë Tereza.
The Royal Border Guard was a border protection force of the Royal Albanian Army responsible for protecting Albania's territorial borders from smuggling activities and foreign interference.
The Highways in Albania are the central state and main transport network in Albania. The motorways and expressways are both part of the national road network. The motorways are primary roads with a speed limit of 110 kilometres per hour (68 mph). They have white on green road signs such as in Italy and other countries nearby. The expressways are the secondary roads, also dual carriageways, but without an emergency lane. They have a speed limit of 90 kilometres per hour (56 mph). They have white-on-blue road signs.
The Vlora was a cargo ship built in 1960 in Ancona (Italy) that sailed under the Albanian flag until 1996. It is most famous for carrying tens of thousands of Albanian refugees to the Italian port of Bari on 8 August 1991, an unprecedented mass arrival that caught Italian authorities unaware.
Vlora International Airport is an international airport under construction since 2021 near Akerni in the Vjosa Wild River National Park, 10 km north of the city of Vlorë, Albania. This airport will be the third international airport in Albania after Tirana International Airport and Kukës International Airport. The project also includes the construction of a marina and agri-tourism site as part of the airport.
The motorways in Albania are the controlled-access highway system in Albania predominantly under the supervision of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy. The motorways are characterised as roads with at least two lanes in each driving direction including an emergency lane and a maximum allowed speed limit of not less than 110 kilometres per hour (68 mph).
The migration and asylum policy of the European Union is within the area of freedom, security and justice, established to develop and harmonise principles and measures used by member countries of the European Union to regulate migration processes and to manage issues concerning asylum and refugee status in the European Union.
This article represents the structure of the Albanian Armed Forces as of May 2020:
Operation HERA is a joint maritime operation by the European Union established to manage migration flows and stop irregular migrants along the Western African Route, from the western shores of Africa to the Canary Islands, Spain. The operation was implemented following an increase in migrants arriving at the Canary Islands in 2006. It remains an annual operation managed by Spain and the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (FRONTEX).
