Albania applies a liberal foreign investment regime with the goal of increasing foreign direct investment. The Law “On Foreign Investment” allows a 100% ownership for foreign companies and outlines specific protections for foreign investors.
Albania is committed to developing a stable and predictable business climate by continuing the implementation of overarching reforms, fiscal consolidation aimed at reducing the national debt, improvement of regional cooperation, investments into infrastructure, and reform of the educational system.
The Albanian government has also moved ahead with an ambitious economic and structural reform agenda which will contribute to a more attractive business environment: restoring growth, improving competitiveness and creating new jobs. The new “Strategic Investment Law” provides maximum legal guarantees for foreign investors.
Albania has a strategic location in the western Balkans, at the crossroads of Europe’s major transit corridors, giving access to the world’s biggest trade;
Connection to European markets through various ports in the Adriatic and Ionian Sea;
Albania is a bridge between northern and southern Europe with a growing network of transport links such as ports, roads and airports.
The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the first quarter of 2024 is estimated to increase by 3.63% in real terms, compared to the first quarter of 2023.
In the period January - July 2024, exports reached the value of 232.6 billion ALL, while imports reached the value of 525.7 billion ALL.
Referring to data from the Bank of Albania, the FDI trend in terms of flow, for the period January - March 2024 (T1), the flow indicator marks the value of €354 million, the highest historical level for this period of the year. Compared to the same period of the previous year, when the flow was € 307 million, an increase of 15.3%, or € 47 million, is observed.
For the period January - March 2024 (T1), the stock indicator marks the value of €13.7 billion. Compared to the end of the Q4 period of 2023, when the stock was around € 13.3 billion, an increase of 3.2%, or € 431 million, is observed.
Albania has signed several free trade agreements (FTA) with key markets (European Union, Turkey, CEFTA, EFTA countries), offering customs free access to a large consumers market.
Albania is part of the General System of Preferences, which is an asymmetric preference system, according to which some states like: Australia, Belarus, Canada, Iceland, Japan, Kazakhstan, Norway, Switzerland, New Zealand, USA and the Russian Federation grant preference to originating goods exported from developing countries, but not vice versa.
Countries where Albanian preferential origin goods can be exported under preferential tariff treatment according to GSP are: Australia, Belarus, Japan, Kazakhstan, New Zealand, USA and the Russian Federation.
