Society & People

Albania is a land of some of the most breathtaking wild nature in Europe, yet it is also a country grappling with a deeply rooted problem: waste and its relationship with the environment. To understand why the situation in the Balkans, and Albania in particular, is the way it is, we need to look far back into the past and recognize that ecology here has long been perceived as a “luxury” — one that was forgotten for a very long time.

Almost every traveler who visits Albania comes home with, among other things, the realization that Albanian roads are filled with a remarkable number of Mercedes-Benz cars. It’s no wonder there’s a popular joke going around that Mercedes-Benz cars are manufactured in Germany, but they’re parked in Albania.

Coffee culture in Albania is not merely a habit — it is a fundamental cornerstone of national identity and social life. If you were looking for a common thread between modern businesspeople in the skyscrapers of Tirana and shepherds in the remote villages of the Albanian mountains, you would find it in a ceramic cup filled with coffee. For Albanians, coffee is not just a morning dose of caffeine to gulp down on the way to work, but a ritual of pause, reflection, and deep human connection.

The current situation in Albania is full of deep contrasts, where an optimistic image of a modernizing country and a tourist “boom” collides with the harsh reality of massive youth emigration. While outwardly Albania appears to be the Balkans’ rising star, within society there is considerable uncertainty about who will actually remain in the country in a few decades’ time. If there were a crystal ball that could predict the future, every Albanian would eagerly peer into it.