The Energy Charter Secretariat based in Brussels, an intergovernmental organization administering the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT- a multilateral energy agreement comprising more than 50 countries and 40 observers), at the request of the Energy Charter Conference conducted a pilot project in 2017 which established the foundation for a flagship publication on Energy Investment Risk Assessment (EIRA). The EIRA is a distinct publication which aims at assessing specific policy, regulatory and legal risks concerning foreign and domestic investment in the energy sector of different countries. The ultimate goal is to have an annual publication with a global reach which countries can use to improve the investment climate and investors can take informed decisions on establishing an investment in the host country.
In this frame, because of FIAA’s active role in the energy sector of the country, the Secretariat believes that our participation and contribution to the EIRA project would be highly advantageous to bring attention to the challenges faced by the business and investor communities and it would contribute to reducing the investment risk in the energy sector in the country. FIAA will contribute to development of the country profile of Albania in the new EIRA publication, planned for release in autumn 2018 as peer Reviewer. Other players involved will be the relevant ministries and other public authorities involved in the energy sector of the country. Moreover, three external parties in Albania are participating and filling-in the Secretariat questionnaire, including a number of questions related to legal, regulatory and policy risks.