Investment Council Discusses Draft National Industry Strategy and Draft SME Policy Document 2026–2030

The Investment Council (IC) convened a meeting dedicated to the public consultation on the draft National Industry Strategy 2026–2030 and the draft SME Policy Document 2026–2030. The meeting aimed to gather comments and recommendations from the private sector and other stakeholders to further improve the two strategic draft documents, which seek to enhance the competitiveness of the Albanian economy and support the country’s European Union integration process. Participants included IC members, representatives of public institutions, business associations, foreign investors, the banking sector, and international development partners.

In his opening remarks, Deputy Minister of Economy and Innovation, Mr Martin Kajo, emphasized that both documents are intended to establish a new policy framework for strengthening Albania’s productive base and increasing productivity, exports, and the overall competitiveness of the economy. He highlighted that the National Industry Strategy is grounded in an assessment of the current challenges facing the manufacturing sector and is designed to support its green and digital transition in line with European Union priorities.

Business representatives welcomed the work undertaken in preparing the two documents and acknowledged their importance for Albania’s economic development. At the same time, they presented a number of concerns and recommendations, emphasizing the need for a more comprehensive assessment of the current state of domestic production in order to identify the country’s real economic potential and better target policy interventions. They also recommended a comparative analysis of business costs in Albania against those in the region and the European Union, more efficient use of domestic resources in the context of an increasingly open market, and clearer industrial policies supported by more detailed sectoral and territorial analyses. Furthermore, business representatives called for more concrete short-term measures to support productive investment, innovation, exports, and the green transition, while stressing the importance of strengthening legal and fiscal certainty, improving supporting infrastructure, and ensuring a more active involvement of the private sector and the Albanian diaspora in the country’s economic development.

The IC Secretariat also welcomed the importance and overall structure of the draft documents and presented a number of recommendations. These focused on providing a more comprehensive reflection of the consultation process and stakeholder contributions, strengthening the analytical framework by enterprise size, sector, and territory, and defining priorities more clearly in relation to the country’s current economic situation, implementation costs, and financing sources.

Representatives of development partners noted that the two documents constitute a key benchmark for meeting the requirements of Chapter 20 – Enterprise and Industrial Policy of the EU acquis. They stressed that their success will depend on effective implementation through well-defined action plans, adequate budgeting, performance indicators, and robust monitoring mechanisms. They also recommended avoiding overlaps between strategic documents, ensuring stronger alignment with European Union industrial policy priorities, and integrating reforms related to the Unified Investment Law.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the Secretariat announced that all comments and recommendations received during the consultation process will be consolidated into an official consultation report and submitted to the Ministry of Economy and Innovation and the team of experts for consideration in the finalization of the National Industry Strategy and the SME Policy Document.