FIAA in collaboration with the Ministry of Economy, Culture and Innovation, and with the generous support of Vodafone, Tepelerformance, NOA, Schneider Electric, Raiffeisen Bank Albania, Intracom Telecom, and Ritech International, organized the conference “Increasing Albania’s Footprint in the Regional Digital Economy Sector” on October 2. This conference is an important sign that FIAA gives to support the efforts made by the private and the governmental sector, to recognize and foster the crucial role of technology for the future of Albania and in FIAA.
“Increasing Albania’s Footprint in the Regional Digital Economy” conference
We are happy to share with you an essence of the “Increasing Albania’s Footprint in the Regional Digital Economy” conference, professionally prepared by our media partner Iceberg Communication.
Many thanks to the speakers, the moderators and the participants for the very fruitful discussions and the feedback we received!
Many thanks to our sponsors Vodafone, Teleperformance, NOA.Financojme, Schneider Electric, Raiffeisen Bank Albania, Intracom Telecom, Ritech International AG for the valuable support and trust!
We look forward to the next steps and to contribute to supporting Albania increase its footprint in the regional digital economy.
Read MoreFIAA Digital Economy Council and EU Roundtable discussion for a program on digitalization and digital skills in Albania
FIAA Digital Economy Council in collaboration with the EU Delegation and the Directorate-General for Neighborhood and Enlargement Negotiation organized a roundtable discussion with FIAA members and academia representatives operating in the digital economy sector on September 18. The experts from the European Commission extended the news that the European Delegation in Tirana will launch a program supporting the digitalization and the digital skills in Albania, financed by the European Commission.
Innovate and Cooperate: Israel – Albania Economic Roundtable
In the framework of the historical visit of the President of the State of Israel, H. E. Mr. Isaac Herzog, in Albania, who was accompanied by an economic delegation, the Economic Department in the Embassy of Israel in Albania organized Innovate and Cooperate: Israel – Albania Economic Roundtable. The delegation comprised high-level officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel, the Israel Innovation Authority, Federation of Chambers of Commerce of Israel, the Export Institute, and the Manufacturers Association of Israel.FIAA is delighted to have been part of this roundtable organized by the Economic Department in the Embassy of Israel.
FIAA ForeignInvestors Albania Israel EconomicCooperation
Read MoreFIAA’s Energy Industry Council Meeting
The members of FIAA’s Energy Industry Council convened on September 11 to address common concerns and challenges facing the energy industry in Albania. During the meeting, the committee members voted for a new Chair of the Council, succeeding Mr. Constantin von Alvensleben, who departed from Albania. FIAA extends its gratitude to Mr. von Alvensleben for his valuable contributions to the Council and his dedication to FIAA, and wishes him continued success in future endeavors.
The Council is pleased to welcome Mr. Silvio Pedrazzi as the new Chair of FIAA’s Energy Industry Council. Mr. Pedrazzi, a former FIAA President with several mandates, is now actively involved in the energy sector. He represents Blessed Investment Group, whose portfolio includes Blue 1 Shpk, a company that owns and operates a 50 MW solar plant in Topojë, Fier County.
Mr. Pedrazzi was elected through regular voting by the present energy members to lead the council for the upcoming term. He is expected to provide support and expertise in addressing the industry’s challenges, while continuing active consultations with the government.
FIAA meets with a delegation of INETUM, France
On September 10th FIAA welcomed a delegation of INETUM, a French IT company, interested in the Albanian market, accompanied by a representative of the French Embassy and the director of Albania’s Startup Agency, aiming at increasing the presence of French investors in the ICT BPO sector.
Albania has become an important destination for the ICT BPO sector by offering qualified workforce, fluent in several foreign languages; competitive labor cost; good infrastructure; attractive investment incentives; favorable geographic location and free access to important markets.
On behalf of FIAA, Mr. Diego Pisa, a FIAA Board Member as well as Teleperformance Italy Group president, shared important insights about the opportunities and challenges that the Albanian market offers to foreign companies, and shared very interesting data from the experience of Teleperformance as one of the pioneers in this field in Albania. Furthermore, Mr. Pisa invited the French experts to strongly recommend French investments in Albania, as the country remains attractive, despite issues arising with emigration, cost increase of labor force, and the Euro/Lek exchange rate.
FIAA ForeignInvestorsAlbaniaFrance ICTBPO PromoteAlbania AlbaniaDigitalHub
Read MoreDr. Cemil Acar, General Manager at AlbChrome
FIAA: Dr. Acar, it’s been more than two years since you started leading Albchrome in Albania. Could you share some insights about your work in the mining industry in Albania? How does it differ from your previous experiences in Türkiye or elsewhere?
Dr. Acar: It is a well-known fact that Albania is located within the world-class mineralization belt, the so-called “Tethyan Belt,” which extends more than 10,000 km from Eastern Europe through Türkiye and across Asia. Thanks to this rich geological occurrence, Albania has significant mineral potential, particularly in terms of chrome and nickel, along with some minor scale base metal mineralization’s, such as copper. Small to medium-scale chrome resources have been exploited for more than 75 years in the region. Nearly half of the ore production has been converted into a semi-end product, ferrochrome, locally for over 40 years, serving the global stainless-steel industry and adding value to the Albanian economy.
Read MoreParticipation in the common effort of around 20 business organizations regarding the draft law on the establishment of a new National Economic Chamber
The draft law on the establishment of a National Economic Chamber in Albania gathered around 20 business organizations in Tirana to discuss on several occasions on its content and necessity. The business organizations have been actively engaged by expressing their concerns on the draft content, directed to the Minister of State for Entrepreneurship and Business Climate, the Prime Minister of Albania, and the Diplomatic Corps in the country.
Read MoreDocument on the Key Matters pressing foreign business activity in Albania to be shared with key stakeholders in Albania
Under the leadership of FIAA’s President Balazs Revesz, and with the active collaboration of its members, FIAA conducted one of its flagship initiatives to date, aimed at collecting the most pressing issues and concerns in the business lines where its members operate.
Read MoreFIAA’s business lunch with EU Delegation to Albania and Ambassadors
FIAA’s Board conducted in may 15th a very fruitful business lunch with the Head of the EU Delegation to Albania, Mr. Silvio Gonzato, the Ambassador of Austria, Mr. Christian Steiner, the Ambassador of Greece, Mrs. Konstantina Kamitsi, and Head of Cooperation at the EU Delegation to Albania, Mr. Hubert Perr. The meeting aimed to follow up on the good cooperation that FIAA has established with the EU delegation in Albania since its very start based on the fact that most of FIAA’s businesses are coming from EU countries.