{{Short description|Albanian politician (born 1967)}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Fatmir Mediu | image = Defense.gov News Photo 060915-D-9880W-005 (Mediu).jpg | caption = Fatmir Mediu in 2006 during the meeting with Donald Rumsfeld, then U.S. Defense Secretary | office = 30th Defence Minister of Albania | term_start = {{Start date|2005|9|11}} | term_end = {{End date|2008|3|18}} | predecessor = Pandeli Majko | successor = Gazmend Oketa | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1967|1|21|df=y}} | birth_place = Durrës, People's Republic of Albania (now Republic of Albania) | birth_name = | party = Republican Party of Albania | spouse = | relations = | children = | alma_mater = | occupation = | profession = Politician | cabinet = | committees = | portfolio = | signature = Fatmir Mediu (nënshkrim).svg }}
'''Fatmir Mediu''' (born 21 January 1967, in Durrës<ref>[http://www.parlament.al/web/MEDIU_Fatmir_Ali_10754_1.php MEDIU, Fatmir Ali] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120513015106/http://www.parlament.al/web/MEDIU_Fatmir_Ali_10754_1.php |date=2012-05-13 }}, Parliament of Albania</ref><ref>[http://moe.gov.al/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5&Itemid=28 Jetlshkrimi] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120402124830/http://www.moe.gov.al/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5&Itemid=28 |date=2012-04-02 }}, Ministry of Environment, Forests and Water Administration of Albania</ref>) is an Albanian conservative politician. He is the current Chairman of the Republican Party of Albania,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://europeanpost.co/dealing-with-isis-threat-in-the-balkans/ |title=Dealing with ISIS threat in the Balkans |last1=Mediu |first1=Fatmir |date=25 February 2016 |website=Europeanpost.co |access-date=6 July 2016 }}</ref> and served as Minister of Defence from September 2005 to March 2008, and Minister of Environment, Forests & Water Administration.
== Early life == Mediu was born on 21 January 1967 in Durrës, which was then part of the People's Republic of Albania.<ref name="nat">{{cite web |title=MEDIU Fatmir |url=https://www.nato-pa.int/members/mediu-fatmir |website=www.nato-pa.int |access-date=1 November 2025}}</ref> In 1990 he graduated from the Faculty of Engineering, Mining, and Geology at Tirana University.<ref name="nat" />
== Political career == In 2001, Mediu was elected a member of the Parliament of Albania, a position he held for four consecutive terms.<ref name="nat" /> During his time in parliament, he served as Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Stability Pact and European Integration, and also served on the committees for foreign affairs, security, and legal issues.<ref>{{cite web |title=Fatmir Mediu |url=https://europeanleadershipnetwork.org/person/fatmir-mediu/ |website=europeanleadershipnetwork.org |access-date=1 November 2025}}</ref>
In September 2005 he was elected as Minister of Defence. In March 2008, Mediu resigned from his position as Defence Minister following a military ammunition explosion in Gërdec, a village outside of the capital of Albania.<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Albania minister quits over blast |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7301098.stm |publisher=BBC News |date=18 March 2008 |access-date=5 June 2016 }}</ref> The explosion killed 26 people, injured hundreds, and damaged or destroyed over two thousand homes.<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Albania: Minister Resigns After Deadly Blasts |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/18/world/europe/18briefs-MINISTERRESI_BRF.html |newspaper=The New York Times |agency=Associated Press |date=18 March 2008 |access-date=5 June 2016 }}</ref> He was succeeded by Gazmend Oketa. After several months of investigation in 2022, in January 2023, the Special Structure against Corruption and Organized Crime (SPAK) found that he violated the law during his actions regarding Gërdec.<ref name="ge">{{cite news |title=SPAK akuzon zyrtarisht Fatmir Mediun për 'Gërdecin': Shpërdoroi detyrën! Ish-ministri: Jam i pafajshëm, s'ka asnjë provë shtesë, e motivuar politikisht - Shqiptarja.com |url=https://shqiptarja.com/lajm/fatmir-mediu-zyrtarisht-nen-akuze-per-gerdecin-spak-i-komunikon-sot-perfundimin-e-hetimeve |access-date=1 November 2025 |work=Shqiptarja |date=10 January 2023 |language=sq}}</ref> Mediu responded that SPAK did not have any additional evidence since the incident, and that the accusations were politically motivated.<ref name="ge" /> He is currently on trial regarding Gërdec, where he is accused of violating Articles 248 and 25 of the Criminal Code alongside Article 70 of the Military Criminal Code.<ref name="ge" /> He has continued to repeat accusations that the prosecutors and judges were acting unfairly regarding the face in 2025.<ref>{{cite news |title=Albanian ex-minister says prosecutors acting politically |url=https://english.gazetatema.net/politics/albanian-ex-minister-says-prosecutors-acting-politically-i342600 |access-date=1 November 2025 |work=Gazeta Tema |date=27 October 2025}}</ref>
In 2009 he was elected as Minister of Environment, Forests & Water Administration.<ref name="nat" /> While Minister of Environment, he quietly oversaw the 2010 Albania floods in the Northern regions of the country, largely caused by poor forest management practices, illegal logging, and heavy rains. He was dismissed from the position in 2013.<ref name="nat" />
==Sources== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{Commons category-inline|Fatmir Mediu}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mediu, Fatmir}} Category:1967 births Category:Living people Category:People from Durrës Category:Government ministers of Albania Category:Defence ministers of Albania Category:Environment ministers of Albania Category:Political party leaders of Albania Category:21st-century Albanian politicians Category:Albanian republicans