Albania climbs to 49th in Global Enabling Trade

TIRANA, May 29 – Albania climbed 10 places to 49th in the 2012 Global Enabling Trade Report released by the World Economic Forum. Albania received the best ranking in the market access ranking 15th among 132 surveyed economies. In the border administration area Albania ranks 54th with the efficiency of import-export procedures and transparency of border administration remaining problematic.
In the transport and communications infrastructure Albania ranks 71st with the availability and quality of transport infrastructure 94th. Availability and use of ICTs and quality of transport services rank rather better, 58th and 64th respectively.
Albania ranks better on business environment, the 52nd, with the regulatory environment and physical security 72nd and 44th respectively.
Identifying potential markets and buyers remain the most problematic factor for exporting companies with 23 percent of them ranking it as the top issue. Second comes access to trade finance with 13.9 percent and access to imported inputs at competitive prices with 9.8 percent.
In the most problematic factors for importing companies the report ranks burdensome import procedures and tariff and non-tariff barriers as the top issues for 21.5 percent of respondents.
Corruption at the border and domestic technical requirements and standards are problematic for 14.3 percent and 12.1 percent of the surveyed.
The Enabling Trade Report ETI, Reducing Supply Chain Barriers, measures the extent to which individual economies have developed institutions, policies, and services facilitating the free flow of goods over borders and to destination. The structure of the Index reflects the main enablers of trade, breaking them into four overall issue areas such as market access, border administration, the transport and communications infrastructure, and business environment.