Business in Albania, Tirana

The objectives of the subject “International Trade and Business in” Albania” are the following:

1. To analyse the Albanian Economy and Foreign Trade (Import, Export, FDI)
2. To know the business opportunities in the Albanian market
3. To analyse the trade relations of Albania with the country of the student
4. To know the Albanian Free Trade Agreements
5. To develop a business plan for Albanian Market

Albanian Preferential Access and Free Trade Agreements

1. Albania and the Central Eurasian Economic Area
2. Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA)
3. Organisation of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC)
4. Central European Initiative (CEI)
5. Adriatic-Ionian Initiative
6. Regional Cooperation Council (RCC)
7. Albania has not ratified the framework agreement of the Trade Preferential System of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (TPS-OIC)
8. Albania-Turkey Free Trade Agreement (FTA)
9. Free Trade Agreement Albania-EFTA (Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein)
10. Albania-European Union Stabilisation and Accession Agreement
    1. European Union-Western Balkans
    2. EUROMED

Trade Facilitation Programs

1. World Trade Organisation (WTO)
   1. WTO Agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS)
   2. WTO General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS)
   3. WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT)
   4. WTO Agreement on Preshipment Inspection (PSI)
   5. WTO Agreement on Safeguards (SG)
   6. WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA)
2. World Customs Organisation (WCO)
   1. Revised Kyoto Convention (RKC)
3. International Convention on the Harmonization of Frontier Controls of Goods (UNECE)
4. Convention on the Contract for the International Carriage of Goods by Road (CMR, UN)
5. Convention concerning International Carriage by Rail (COTIF)
6. International Bureau of Containers and Intermodal Transport (BIC)
7. International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO, Chicago Convention)
8. International Maritime Organisation (IMO)
   1. International Convention for Safe Containers (CSC)
   2. Convention Relating to Temporary Admission (Istanbul Convention)
9. Customs Convention on Containers (CCC, UN) - not a member
10. Organisation for Cooperation between Railways (OSJD)
11. Uniform Rules concerning the Contract of International Carriage of Goods by Rail (CIM, CIT)
12. Convention on the Carriage of Goods by Sea (Hamburg Rules, UN)
13. International Road Transport Union (IRU)
    1. TIR Convention
    2. Guidelines on Safe Load Securing for Road Transport
14. International Chamber of Commerce (ICC)

1. Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)
2. Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)
3. Group of States of the European Council Convention against Corruption (GRECO)

Islamic Organisations

1. Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OCI)
   1. Islamic Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI)
   2. Islamic Centre for Development of Trade (ICDT)
   3. Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (COMCEC)
2. Islamic Development Bank (IsDB)
3. Albania is beneficiary of the Arab Development Funds

Global Organisations

1. United Nations (UN)
   1. Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
   2. International Trade Centre (INTRACEN)
   3. World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO)
2. World Bank (WB)
3. International Monetary Fund (IMF)

The Republic of Albania (Europe)

1. Capital of Albania: Tirana
2. Official Language: Albanian
3. Area of Albania: 28,748 square kilometres
4. Albanian Population: 2.7 million people
5. Type of Government: Parliamentary Republic
6. Borders of Albania: Greece, Montenegro, Kosovo and the Republic of Macedonia
7. Independence of Albania: 1912 (Ottoman Empire)
8. In 1991, the Socialist Republic of Albania became the Republic of Albania

Religion in Albania:

1. Islam (Sunnis): 79%
   1. Albania has signed the Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam
   2. Fiqh (Islamic Jurisprudence): Fiqh-al-Hanafi
2. Orthodoxy (Christianity)

Albania, despite being an European country, we will also assign to the Islamic Civilisation (Central Eurasian Economic Area)

Albanian Economy.

1. The Republic of Albania is a transition economy
2. During the communist period, Albania was the most closed and planned country of all, and its effects are still remarkable
3. The organised crime and corruption is a serious problem in Albania
4. Albanian GDP (nominal): 30,660 million dollars
5. GDP per capita: 11,885 dollars
6. Currency of Albania: Albanian Lek
7. Albania has the largest oil reserves (on land) in Europe
8. Albania is the third world chromium producer (10% of the world's total)
9. Mining: 40% of the Albanian GDP.
10. Entry of foreign investment in sectors such as energy and Transport infrastructures
11. The main sectors of the Albanian Economy are agriculture, food processing, wood, petroleum, cement, chemical products, mining, base metals, hydroelectric power, tourism, textile industry, and footwear
12. Albania is rich in natural resources, has valuable copper, iron and nickel mines
13. Albania requested accession to the European Union in 2009 (EU Enlargement)

Albanian Foreign Trade.

1. Albanian exports have increased by 300% between 2008 and 2014
2. The main Albanian exports are textiles and footwear, asphalt, metals and metal minerals, petroleum, vegetables, fruits, and tobacco
3. Top Albanian exports destinations are Italy (43%), Kosovo, the United States, and China
4. The main Albanian imports are machinery, food products, textiles, and chemical products
5. The main suppliers of Albania are Italy (33%), China, Greece, and Turkey

Albania-Turkey Free Trade Agreement (FTA).