Investment Council in Albania: 10 Years of Constructive Public-Private Dialogue

Leverage Private Sector Engagement in Prioritisation of Policy Reforms

Tirana, 15 April 2025 – Today marks the 10th anniversary of Albania’s Investment Council (IC), a pioneering platform for private-public dialogue established to integrate private sector expertise into national policymaking and transition to a well-governed market economy. Over the past decade, the IC has played a key role in fostering collaboration between the public and private sectors, encouraging businesses to act as strategic partners while advocating for systemic improvements beyond individual interests. Through clear leadership and a structured, data-driven approach, the IC has sustained strong engagement with stakeholders, using dialogue to address critical business concerns and promote good governance.

As the IC commemorates this milestone, it reflects on some of its key achievements:

Policy Interventions: The IC has prioritized and endorsed 350 recommendations, achieving a 47% implementation rate. In the past two years alone, it provided concrete inputs for 11 policy and strategic documents. Notable achievements include 41 approved legal and regulatory interventions, simplification of VAT reimbursement procedures, improvements in workforce skills, and targeted advocacy against the automatic blocking of entrepreneurs’ bank accounts due to tax debts. The Council has also played a role in enhancing access to finance by promoting digital solutions that improve private sector awareness of funding opportunities. Additionally, it has strengthened the monitoring of central and local public digital services, including the efficiency of the e-Permits platform, and supported SMEs in addressing challenges related to transitioning to alternative energy sources.

Enabling Trust Through Evidence-Based Analysis: The IC has produced 28 technical analyses to identify and address systemic barriers to investment, covering issues such as informality, institutional capacity, tax and customs reforms, digitalization, SME internationalization, workforce quality, public consultation, inspections, and investor concerns. These studies were backed by survey responses from 5,020 businesses, providing prior robust quantitative and qualitative insights.

Promoting stakeholder engagement and Inclusiveness: The IC has held 35 regular meetings engaging 50+ members and 500+ observers, reflecting the business community’s growing interest in the platform. This increasing participation highlights the Council’s role as a trusted forum for dialogue, fostering collaboration between public and private sector stakeholders.

Unique Crisis Response: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the IC served as a reliable source of information on rapidly changing regulations. By transitioning to online meetings, it maintained an open channel for dialogue, addressing urgent business challenges and supporting economic recovery efforts.

Strategic Advocacy: The IC has established itself as a trusted voice in national and international forums, including those related to Albania’s EU accession process. Through its collaborative model and strong partnerships with institutions, business chambers, universities, think tanks, and development agencies, it has reinforced its role as a key interlocutor, actively contributing to the country’s economic transition.

The Next Chapter

As Albania moves closer to EU integration, emerging challenges such as the green transition, digital transformation, and labour market shifts will require an even stronger commitment to the institution’s transparency and public-private cooperation.

If the past ten years have proven anything, it is that structured dialogue—backed by clear leadership, data, transparency, and accountability—can build partners’ trust and drive reforms that require collective efforts across multiple stakeholders.

============

About Investment Council in Albania

The Investment Council is an advisory body dedicated to improving the investment climate through structured dialogue between the public and private sectors. Supported by the Albanian Government, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), the Council works closely with government institutions, business associations, and international partners to advance economic reforms and promote sustainable development.