“Albania needs greater trust in law and order”
FIAA: During your time here in Albania, have you seen any change in the operating environment for foreign businesses in the country?
Mr. Larsen: Yes – several laws which have been passed, for example. I think the law on strategic investment is beneficial for investors that want to do business here in Albania. It gives businesses a one-stop window in terms of interaction with the government, and so on. We already have that kind of one-stop window in the energy ministry and in the project implementation unit which has been established in the Ministry of Energy, and I believe that the law on strategic investment should help all businesses.
The fact is that Albania is in a period of active reform and we are hopeful of seeing changes in the energy sector as a result. The whole energy sector is undergoing reform and the new energy law passed last year makes commitments to changes in the institutions, for example, liberalization of the market for power trading. We were originally expecting these things to be in place by now, but they will come. The government is committed to reform and it will make it happen. I think it will take some more years still before we have a fully functional power market here in Albania.
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