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Tirana, 19 November 2024:  Foreign Investors Association of Albania, Confindustria Albania, Italian Chamber of Commerce in Albania, Hellenic Business Association in Albania, presented the findings of the Business Environment in Albania Survey 2024, which was conducted during August – October 2024 with the foreign investor’s community in the country.

The FIAA Tax Committee convened its regular meeting on November 20, to discuss on the latest key concerns on tax and finance. The present members analyzed some of the key findings from the recent FIAA Business Environment Survey 2024 and some other pending issues on taxes.

Part of the discussion were also a number of ambiguities in the Law “On Income Tax” and the relevant Guidelines, which are of particular importance to be improved. They agreed on following up most of the high ranked issues and the right approach with the tax authorities and the Ministry of Finance.

In frame of the work initiated to prepare the 2025 edition of the “White Book”, FIAA Director Mrs. Marinela Jazoj and Deputy President Mr. Sokol Elmazaj met with the representative of the Minister of State and Chief Negotiator institution on November 18. This meeting aimed to explore and built bridges of cooperation among the two institutions, especially in the upcoming process of the preparation of the FIAA White Book chapters, by being aligned also with the EU approximation and integration process of the respective chapters by the Minister of State and Chief Negotiator. The 2025 FIAA White Book edition is expected to be a very useful tool for the Albanian institutions and other relevant users, as it will bring professional expertise from the know-how of the European companies within FIAA.

Following the continuous collaboration with the EBRD, FIAA Director Mrs. Marinela Jazoj met with the delegation of EBRD representatives working on EBRD’s Country Strategy for Albania. The discussion included the key strategic priorities of the strategy and their alignment with the government agenda to target the biggest gaps in the country; touching base on the economic situation and political economy; discussing more on EBRD’s policy work and explore if there are avenues for future engagement. Mrs. Jazoj shared with the EBRD representatives some of the key concerns of the business community while doing business in Albania. She stressed that the importance of cooperation among all the stakeholders and focus on those key areas where reforms are necessary for the country business environment improvement.

The Investment Council held its 35th meeting which focused on the topic “Access to Finance – On the Improvement of Financial Instruments.” FIAA was represented in this meeting by its Board Member, Mr. Mirsad Haliti.

At the occasion of the Open Days at Bankers Petroleum Albania, FIAA’s Board visited the Patos-Marinza oilfield, an asset under the development of the company. During the visit, HongPing Xiao, CEO of Bankers Petroleum, presented the company’s ongoing and upcoming projects, focusing on their commitment to both growth and sustainability.

The European Commission adopted the 2024 Enlargement package, including the report on Albania, on October 30. The EU Delegation to Albania under the lead of the EU Ambassador in Albania Mr. Silvio Gonzato organized a meeting with business organizations and other stakeholders on November 6, where were presented and discussed the key findings of the 2024 Report on Albania, with a focus on issues of particular relevance to Albania’s business community.

FIAA’s Chairman Mr. Balazs Revesz, on behalf of FIAA, as one of the key partners for EU in Albania, congratulated the Ambassador for the excellent report where there were also included several concerns that FIAA has addressed to EU earlier this year. FIAA will continue to advise and address key recommendations for the improvement of the business environment in Albania.

After several discussions and meetings on the creation of the National Economic Chamber, FIAA was invited for a last round of consultation with the representative of the National Economic Council.

The Albanian Investment Corporate and FIAA’s Digital Economy Council organized a presentation meeting with stakeholders of the ICT sector. FIAA facilitated this event in October 30 by inviting its members involved in the ICT sector.

FIAA welcomed a delegation of representatives from eight Spanish companies who visited Tirana on a commercial mission on October 14. The purpose of the mission was to develop a line of collaboration and potential partnerships in Albania for the companies that were part of AFME – the Spanish Association of Electrical Material Manufacturers.

The International Trade advisor of AFME, Ms. Karina Novaro who led the mission and FIAA’s Director Marinela Jazoj exchanged about the increasing interest of Spanish companies in the Albanian market. Ms. Jazoj addressed questions of the representatives of the companies on market developments that were of interest for them, especially in the Construction & Infrastructure, Energy and Automotive Industry sectors.