9th Subcommittee on Trade, Industry, Customs and Taxation between Albania and the European Union

In Brussels took place the 9th Subcommittee meeting on Trade, Industry, Customs and Taxation between the European Union and Albania. On this occasion, is taken into consideration the progress achieved by Albania, in particular regarding the alignment of national legislation with the European acquis. Albanian representative illustrated progress on the removal of restrictions on the free movement of goods, and on measures to facilitate tax procedures. They also informed about ongoing negotiations on trade agreements with third countries, presented an update concerning industrial policies, including support for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), as well as providing information with regards on measures to improve the business environment in line with Albania’s commitments under the Economic Reform Programme (ERP). As reported by Albanian Daily News, the Commission looked positively the increase of Albania exports to EU and welcomed measures to align legislation to the European acquis as well as the adoption of the CEFTA Additional Protocol 5. Thus, the Commission encouraged the government of Albania to further proceed in the engagement with CEFTA, the participation in COSME, and the Tourism Strategy.