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Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) is emerging as a new industry in Albania with a good potential on attracting big corporates around the world, seeking for countries with low cost of labour. This sector is recently under the attention of the Albanian Government too, aiming to turn it as a sector with high potential in particular for the youth employment.

In February 20th-23rd, 2017, FIAA together with AIDA and Albanian Outsourcing Association participated with a Promotional stand in CCW Fair Berlin. This participation was enabled with the support of Swiss Embassy in Tirana through the Project RisiAlbania. The entire Team has been continuously consulted by Avasant Experts who are appointed by RisiAlbania to support the BPO Sector and the Organizations who work with it. The presentation of FIAA in CCW Berlin was very important not only for the gained Networks, but also for learning new models in this industry which is in the early stages in Albania.

In February 15^th, FIAA presented the findings of the 2016 Business Environment Survey and Perceptions of Business for 2017. Foreign Investors, International Institutions, High Diplomats and other Stakeholders in Albania were invited to learn on the findings and to hear the different perspectives shared by the FIAA Executives, by the Ambassador of EU Delegation in Albania and by the Minister of Finance.

The main findings of the Survey showed that this study was conducted with the participation of the major foreign companies operating in our country, summarizing their perceptions and attitudes towards the different elements of the business climate such as, tax procedures, business confidence, competition, judiciary, etc. According to the survey, the overall business confidence of investors didn’t show any improvement compared to the previous year, however, the majority of businesses say that their business activity for 2016 has increased despite the not good perception of business climate in general.

Early this Year, the Board of FIAA at the proposal of Ernst & Young Albania established the new Committee on “Tax & Financial”, which activity will support FIAA members for a healthy business and tax environment in the country as well as to provide high-quality information on the current and future developments in the tax system in order to enhance stability and predictability of the business activity in Albania.

This Committee is Chaired Mrs. Anisa Jasini, representative of Ernst & Young Albania.

The committee will work in close collaboration with the FIAA Members, the Ministry of Finance and related authorities, Financial Institutions in the country and other stakeholders.

The Tax Committee Working Agenda for 2017 will mainly focus on:

• Identifying tax issues faced by members and general business community having a negative impact on a specific sector or industry.
• Promoting tax changes required to improve the business climate based on EU legislation and best international practices.
• Presenting the association’s position on required tax changes to the EU Delegation and other international institutions.
• Providing technical support to the FIAA Board of Directors in its discussions with the government or other institutions.
• Updating members on tax development by organizing conferences, seminars and round tables
• Commenting on tax bills (on selected area of interest to our members) and their compliance to the letter and to the spirit of the applicable EU framework.

In cooperation with its members and the other FIAA Committees, in September 2017 will be issued the second edition of FIAA WHITE BOOK Albania, which will present the most pressing obstacles on doing business environment and will address recommendations to the Leading Government.

The University of New York Tirana (UNYT) in partnership with the Foreign Investors Association in Albania (FIAA) gathered this January in a roundtable with main CEO’s and representatives of businesses in Albania and Economic Diplomatic Officials to discuss on the Country’s economic perspectives, opportunities and challenges for FDIs in 2017.

On the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the establishment of UNYT, the CEO, Mr. Andreas Galatoulas stated that a 15-year journey in Albania has been very interesting for the first private university in Albania.  “We consider our institutions as a bridge between academic and business to generate concepts and ideas that will help entrepreneurship. What we want is to understand the business needs in order to prepare the students to be educated in UNYT and provide human resources for the best Albanian businesses. Our graduates of today are your leaders of tomorrow”- he said.

On the other hand, the Chairman of FIAA, Mr. Silvio Pedrazzi during his word, highlighted how important is the link and cooperation between Education and Business. For Mr. Pedrazzi, insufficiently trained human resources are among the main concerns for entrepreneurs. “It is very difficult to find qualified people who know how to make algorithms and do financial analysis. This is particularly a concern in the banking sector, “said Mr. Pedrazzi. He further stressed that the implementation of the Justice Reform and the fight against informality are not only the basis for the progress of the country, but will help to turn the confidence of investors, whether foreign or domestic, and for those who will have to come tomorrow.

One of the largest investments undertaken in the last two decades such as Trans Adriatic Pipeline project is expected to give a big push to the country’s economy. For foreign investors, this is a project that will in addition serve as an example for the private sector implementation, but also in the way it engages local companies. According to the Country Manager of TAP, there is no doubt that one of the major competitive advantages of the country is the low cost of labor.

The meeting unfolded information for foreign investors up to date on economic changes, trends, development and the impact of foreign direct investment (FDI) in Albania. Particularly, there was a focus on challenges FDIs face in Albania and on much needed structural reforms on judiciary system and on business regulatory framework aiming to further liberalize the market. The role of higher education institutions was also highlighted with the goal of filling the gap between the set of skills provided by the education and the needs in the labor market.

University of New York Tirana and FIAA aimed through this event to revert to an annual tradition with the ultimate goal of bridging among academia, business community and policy making.

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University of New York Tirana offers dual degree thanks to the precious collaboration with State University of New York – Empire State College, USA. UNYT graduates are part of a global community of more than three million alumni in general and more than 3,400 just last year.

The Ambassador of Britain in Albania, H.E. Mr Alastair King-Smith organized a business gathering reception in honor of the visit of HM Trade Commissioner for Europe, Mr. Chris Barton CMG. FIAA’s Executive Director Ms. Marinela Jazoj present at the meeting, had the chance to share the FIAA Experience and exchange views on the Albanian business climate and the opportunities to further develop relations between British investors and Albania.