Newsletter, April – June 2025
- June 30, 2025
Focus Group Meeting: “Digitalising Local Services for Businesses”
15 April 2025
The Secretariat held a technical discussion with 13 representatives from the business community and development organisations to examine preliminary insights from a survey with 163 businesses and consultations with six municipalities. Discussions explored the quality and cost-efficiency of local administrative services, digitalisation priorities, and the state of communication and transparency between municipalities and businesses. Participants stressed the need to recognise businesses as key stakeholders in local governance and called for a phased, well-structured digitalisation process, underpinned by transparency and supported by targeted awareness and education.
Monitoring Report of IC Recommendations 2024
28 April 2025
As part of its ongoing commitment to transparency and accountability, the Secretariat published the 2024 Monitoring Report on the implementation of Investment Council recommendations. Of the 350 recommendations discussed across 35 meetings, 51.1% have been fully implemented, while 16.6% remain in progress. The report underscores persistent challenges in critical areas such as legal security on property, informality, and the enhancement of the investment legal framework. The findings emphasise the key role of evidence-based dialogue in strengthening trust and fostering a more competitive and sustainable investment climate in the country.
Publication: Albania’s Outlook of Key Macroeconomic Indicators 2024
30 April 2025
The Secretariat released an analytical summary of Albania’s economic performance in 2024, reporting a growth rate of 3.96%, primarily supported by public services, trade, real estate, and construction sectors. Foreign direct investment increased by 5.6%, reaching 1.6 billion euros, while inflation declined to 2.2%, down from 4.8% in 2023. Despite these positive trends, challenges persist: exports dropped by 15.4%, unemployment stood at 8.8% in the final quarter—with higher rates among women—and labour productivity remains low, particularly in agriculture and services. Innovation and technological readiness continue to lag behind regional peers.
Meeting on CEI-Funded Projects in Albania
8 May 2025
At an event organised by the Italian Embassy in Tirana in partnership with CEI and the EBRD, projects financed by the CEI Fund in Albania were showcased, highlighting their impact on the country’s economic development. The Investment Council platform was featured as a notable success. CEI was one of the earliest donors to the Council, supporting the enhancement of technical capacities and reinforcing its role as a tripartite platform facilitating dialogue on economic policies.
Secretariat joins Civil Society-led Reform Agenda Platform
May 2025
The IC Secretariat has become a member of the Reform Agenda Monitoring Platform, a regional civil society initiative within the “WB Reform and Growth Monitor” project. Funded by the European Union and coordinated by the Think for Europe Network (TEN), the platform promotes a structured, inclusive, and evidence-based dialogue on reform processes across the Western Balkans.
Secretariat Presents Key Business Climate Challenges to Swiss-Albanian Private Sector
17 June 2025
At the invitation of the Swiss Embassy and during an event organised by the Swiss Chamber of Commerce (SWISSA), the IC Secretariat highlighted key challenges faced by the private sector in Albania. Drawing on its analyses of various business climate topics, the Secretariat contributed to a discussion that brought together entrepreneurs and professionals from both Swiss and Albanian communities, fostering a valuable exchange of ideas and promoting new partnerships.
Study Visit to Brussels: Engagement and Transparency in the Reform Process
23-24 June 2025
As part of a study visit organized by the Institute for Dialogue and Integration (CDI), the Secretariat took part in several meetings in Brussels with EU institutions and civil society representatives focused on the Reform Agenda (RA), the Reform and Growth Facility (RGF), and Albania’s European integration process. Meetings included DG ENEST, the Directorate-General for External Policies at the European Parliament, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), and the Albanian Mission to the EU. The Secretariat highlighted the Investment Council’s role as a tripartite platform promoting dialogue among government, business, and civil society, stressing the need for transparency and wider stakeholder involvement in reform monitoring, particularly within the Growth Plan framework.
Activity Report 2024
26 June 2025
The report summarizes the work of the Council and Secretariat throughout 2024, highlighting the private sector’s priorities during a crucial phase of European integration. Through dialogue forums and technical analyses, the Investment Council continued to serve as a key platform for discussing policies that impact the business environment and enhance Albania’s economic competitiveness.
SECRETARIAT’S LATEST PUBLICATIONS
Recommendations Monitoring Report, 2024
Monitoring Report
Summary “Albania’s Economic Outlook Indicators 2024”
Economic Outlook
Activity Report 2024
Monitoring Report
INVESTMENT COUNCIL IN THE MEDIA
Scan TV, 19 May 2025
Albanian Tourism Towards New Standards - Investment Council Recommends Formalisation of the Sector (in Albanian)
Scan TV, 21 May 2025
Plans to support agriculture and agro-processing/IC Recommendations: Continue with digitalisation (in Albanian)
ABOUT ALBANIA INVESTMENT COUNCIL
The Investment Council is a platform set up by the Albanian authorities with support from the EBRD and the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) to intensify dialogue between the government and the private sector, improve the business climate, and promote good governance.
