Italy pledges continuous support to Tirana’s EU integration

TIRANA, May 7 – Albanian Prime Minister SaliBerisha made an official visit to Italy this week, while President BamirTopi went to the Vatican last weekend.
Italy was at the center of the news this week and Rome is Albania’s main trading partner.
Tirana’s efforts of integration into the European Union will be continually supported by Italy. That was the main words heard in all the meetings that the country’s two top officials heard there.
Berisha met with his Italian counterpart Mario Monti in Rome on Monday to talk on the excellent bilateral relations and both reconfirmed the willingness for the intensification of economic ties and the increase of Italian investments in Albania. 
Berisha highly evaluated Italy’s role in supporting Albania’s European integration efforts and Italy’s financial contribution through various development projects in Albania. The head of the Italian government Mario Monti said that despite the necessity to cut public expenditures the activity of the Italian Development Cooperation in Albania continues to be considerable. Monti called the Albanian community in Italy as one of the largest and best integrated in Italy.
Italian Foreign Minister GiulioTerzi said that with 400 Italian or so Italian-Albanian companies working in Albania, Italy is the main investor in Albania according to the number of operators and only ranks second according to the investments’ value”.
During his stay Berisha also took part at the congress ‘Albania in Europe, new opportunities for economic and industrial cooperation for Italian companies’ conference, organized by Confindustria, the Farefuturo Foundation, and Unioncamere.
Economic cooperation”, Terzi added, ”Also took advantage of people’s mobility between Albania and the EU ensured by the visa-free regime, which entered into force on December 2010”. 
Terzi also pointed out that ”the Italian government trusts Albania’s future and is intentioned to go on supporting it in its process of economic and social modernization”. It was not by chance that ”in the last 20 years, our cooperation allocated a total sum exceeding 540 million euros for development in donations and loans”.
Terzi also said he has “full confidence in the future of Albania.” The foreign minister explained: “I support its path of economic and social modernization” and the granting of the status of candidate country for EU membership “by the end of this year.”
Terzi emphasized that the Italian companies must exploit all opportunities that this dynamic market offers.
Berisha addressed the Forum to present economic, fiscal and administrative reforms, the favorable climate for business and investments as well as Albania potentials.
Berisha expressed gratitude for Italian support and assistance to Albania during the last 20 years as the country is on the difficult road of building the values of freedom and democracy. “The two countries have maintained their bilateral relations irrespective of the political spectrum and they are very good,” said the prime minister. 
The prime minister said that Albania is a different country today. Berisha said that Albania has a difficult way ahead toward becoming a developed country. “We need foreign investments. We have made our best toward creating a friendly climate for FDI”, said the prime minister.
“I am grateful to Italian investors who by courage and confidence have decided to implement their projects in my country. My government will do its best so that their projects in Albania are success stories”.
Berisha mentioned the one stop shop on business registration, the reduction by two-third of licenses and permits, the e-procurements, the investors paying taxes online, the modern road infrastructure that cuts the travel time toward Tirana and Internet penetration at 60 percent.
“Albania has one of the lowest fiscal burdens in Europe. We shall continue to cut taxes as I believe that the actual global crisis was provoked even by the high taxes that stimulate informality,” he said.
Albania offers investment opportunities in water energy, said the prime minister adding that some Italian entrepreneurs have already got permission to kick off works. In the context of plans for Albania becoming a small superpower of renewable energy in the region, it has provided licenses to Italian entrepreneurs for exploiting 1600 megawatt of eolic energy. “We are open to solar energy and other potentials of renewable energy”, said Berisha.
Further on, the prime minister spoke about Albania natural resources, chrome reserves, copper, iron-nickel and recently there is discovered even gold and platinum.
Albania has also a great tourist potential, an impressive cultural heritage, beautiful beaches and mountains. “Beginning from this current year, those who invest in the mountains areas will be exempt from taxes for eight years”, said Berisha adding that the labor market in Albania is favorable with young, well-qualified and hardworking people.
President of the FondazioneFarefuturo Adolfo Urso said that Berisha’s presence will serve as a new opportunity for establishment of links of cooperation between the Italian and Albanian entrepreneurs in fields of interest for the country. At present Albania is not only a country to invest or promote Italian products, but above all it’s a partner country of Italy, he said, adding that Albania is actually a NATO member country that is moving forward with the process of the European integration.
Urso considered Albania a model of growth and development in the Balkans space and positively assessed the political and economic reforms, the major privatizations and the favorable climate for the foreign business as the main factors of Albania economic growth and owing to which it managed to withstand the crisis that its neighboring countries are facing. The Albanian Post Office and the Italian Post Office signed an Agreement of Cooperation.