TIRANA, APRIL 15, 2010     “Although Albania’s trade deficit did not increase last year, the decrease in the overall exports from Albania underlines the urgent need to improve the competitiveness of Albanian products in domestic and foreign markets,” said USAID/Albania Mission Director, Joseph C. Williams, at an economic policy roundtable held today in Tirana.

The Minister of Economy, Trade, and Energy, Mr. Dritan Prifti, also delivered remarks on the challenges facing trade in Albania.

The roundtable, funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), gathered representatives of business organizations, government agencies, NGOs, and international institutions to discuss the findings of the 2009 Foreign Trade Report produced by the Albanian Center for Competitiveness and International Trade (ACIT).  USAID programs help strengthen the capacity of Albanian small and medium enterprises to improve their productivity and competitiveness, while seeking to increase export sales and trade.

The report provides the latest macro-economic and trade data for policy makers and business representatives to develop future strategies and decisions for business and trade investments.

“The decrease of Albanian exports by 8% last year suggests that Albania might be losing some competitive advantage in its main exporting sectors, such as in shoe manufacturing, Albania’s footwear industry showed a 5% decrease in 2009” remarked Gentian Elezi, the Director of ACIT during his presentation. “This situation requires more decisive support from policy-makers to these sectors, but also there needs to be greater awareness on the part of businesses for the need to diversify their geographic markets.”

ACIT was established in 2002 and in 2009 registered as an independent NGO offering trade information and counseling services on economic policy issues.

For further information please contact:
Mr. Gentian Elezi
Executive Director
ACIT (Albanian Centre for Competitiveness and International Trade)
Rr. Deshmoret e 4 Shkurtit, Pall. “Leskova”, 6th Floor, App. 28
Tirana, Albania