USAID Mission Director in Albania Joseph Williams said the decrease in exports stresses the immediate need to improve the competitiveness of Albanian products in domestic and foreign markets
TIRANA, April 15 – The Albanian Centre for International Trade (ACIT), an NGO specialized in foreign trade analysis, has warned that the decrease in exports last year was a bad signal for the Albanian economy and its competitiveness. Announcing the results of a 2009 report on Albania’s foreign trade, ACIT director, Gentian Elezi, said that the decrease in exports by 8 percent last year shows Albania could be losing ground in the competitive advantage of the main exporting sectors such as shoes whose export fell by 5 percent. “This situation requires more determined support to these sectors by policymakers and also an increase of awareness among businesses on the need to diversify their market,” added Elezi.
Last year’s drop of exports was attributed to the global financial crisis and especially the situation in Italy and Greece where most Albanian products are exported.
However, according to ACIT, the decrease should also be viewed in the context of the competitive ability.
Meanwhile, Economy and Trade Minister Dritan Prifti appreciated the ACIT report as realistic, serious, inviting the opposition to carefully read it and understand the economic reality in Albania.
Pointing out that Albania had a positive economic growth in 2009 and a more favourable situation than regional countries, Prifti said, “If other countries around us had a decrease in imports by 10 to 20 percent, the decrease of Albanian imports in 2009 was only 1.8 percent.” He said that the 8 percent drop in exports was lower than the indicator of regional or other developed countries whose exports fell by 10 to 20 percent.
Meanwhile, USAID Mission Director in Albania, Joseph Williams, said the decrease in exports stresses the immediate need to improve the competitiveness of Albanian products in domestic and foreign markets.
“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 Williams. Appreciating the Albanian government’s efforts in fighting corruption and improving the business climate, he said that the report’s findings would be of help to government.
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 have helped strengthen the capacity of Albanian small and medium enterprises to improve their productivity and competitiveness, while seeking to increase export sales and trade.
However, according to the Finance Ministry, exports during the first three months of this year registered a considerable increase. “The volume of exports during the first three months of 2010 reached 167,000 tons or 74 percent more compared to the same period last year. ‘Made in Albania’ goods during the first quarter of this year reached 28,000 tons, registering an increased of 26 percent year-on-year,” said Finance Minister Bode earlier this month.
