Sweden Supports Albania’s EU Integration

TIRANA, March 15

Sweden supports Albania’s integration in the European Union (EU), Director General of the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA) Carin Jamtin said during a meeting with the Albanian Minister of Finance and Economy, Arben Ahmetaj.
Jamtin highlighted that this is the main purpose of SIDA-s office in Tirana and also the crucial importance of the justice reform.
Moreover, they discussed commerce between Albania and Sweden as statistics confirm that trade exchange increased by 56% in 2017 compared to 2016. The value of goods traded between the countries reached Euro 31.7 million. Exports from Albania to Sweden were estimated Euro 19 million, while imports were Euro 13 million.
The lists of products that Albania imports from Sweden consist of transportation vehicles, timber, medicaments, and work equipment. On the other hand, Albania exports garments, iron bars, and oil by-products.
Ahmetaj invited Swedish enterprises and investors to take advantage of the investment opportunities in Albania and new reforms that will improve the business climate such as tax incentives in tourism, ICT, and the deregulation reform. The later consists of the reduction of licenses, permits, and procedures and aims at avoiding bureaucratic processes.
According to Ahmetaj, there are 20 Swedish companies in Albania that operate in various sectors such as services, manufacturing and processing industry, agriculture, forestry, and fishery, yet the investment capital is low.
In the meantime, the number of Swedish tourists that visited Albania increased from 10,000 to 25,000.

News Source: ATA

Photo Credit: Sweden in Albania