Albania is a small but strategically important country where U.S. influence is exceptionally strong. In light of budget constraints and in the context of legacy planning, USAID/Albania has designed a strategy that will concentrate on leveraging U.S. influence at the policy reform level. The program focus for the next five years will be on working with the Government of Albania (GOA) and the private sector on results‐oriented transformational reforms and changes in the regulatory environment that will lead to strengthened democratic institutions and sustainable economic growth. This will better position Albania to achieve its European integration aspirations while, at the same time, advancing U.S. objectives related to Albania’s role in helping to move forward U.S. foreign policy priorities. The program will directly support the President’s U.S. assistance goals for Eastern Europe – as articulated most recently in the FY 2012 Foreign Assistance Budget for Europe and Central Asia – that call for integration into the Euro‐Atlantic community, promoting reforms and consolidating stability.