Press release of Minister of Economic Development, Trade and Entrepreneurship on 2015 Doing Business Report:
Hello!
There is a very good piece of news for Albania and its economy. Today, the World Bank published the Doing Business Report for 2015. This is the most prestigious international report as far as business climate and facilitations in 189 different countries throughout the world are concerned. This year’s assessment for Albania is the best historic assessment given in 22 years of post communist history. Following a reassessment of last year’s ranking where Albania held the 108th position in the world, this year our country made a huge quality leap and was ranked among the 40 countries with the best performance. In the Doing Business Report we are ranked 68th, and for Albania this is the highest ranking in history.
In addition, going up 40 positions is also an important step forward as far as reforms and doing business facilitation are concerned. I want to highlight that this ranking, the historic leap we have made in the quality of doing business is directly connected with the deep and courageous reforms that the Rama Government has undertaken since the first year in power.
After 5 years of stalemate and deterioration of the country’s ranking, this is a very good piece of news for Albania, because this positive assessment shows not only that reforms are giving results, but above all that there is willingness and determination to take these reforms further.
In January of this year, a cross institutional working group was created at the Ministry of Economic Development and Enterprise by order of the Prime Minister. In close collaboration with international partners such as IFC, whom I take this occasion to thank for their support in these reforms, this group has conducted a very qualitative analysis of the Doing Business Report indicators, following which he have undertaken necessary reforms on various levels across the institutions concerned by the Doing Business Report.
Although in a limited time, this reform has affected, within the larger reform that the Ministry and the Government have started to improve the business climate, some of the key issues such as informal constructions (improved by 32 positions), starting of a business (4 positions), easiness in paying taxes (13 positions), property registration (18 positions).
The assessment of the 2015 Report is another positive signal for the economy and the right road we have taken for economic reforms, since it confirms in an unquestionable way that Albania is on the right track for the improvement of the business climate and for a sustainable and qualitative growth of economy.
Being this Report one of the main sources referred to by any foreign or Albanian investor or entrepreneur in order to take decisions on their investments, this improved ranking has and will have a direct impact on attracting foreign investments.
It is worth highlighting as well that this qualitative leap has been done compared also to other countries in the region, where Serbia and some other countries have remained behind.
This assessment of doing business, which directly reflects the everyday experience of the entrepreneurs and companies that assist in the making of this Report, shows above all that the Government-Enterprise relationship has entered a new improvement stage.
At the same time, this assessment dismisses some unfounded insinuations, which lack information and are of course false, made no further than yesterday by today’s opposition that in 8 years in a row could never produce results similar to those we achieved since the very first year. Not only couldn’t they do it in a year, but it took them many years and so many failed attempts to bring Albania in the situation they abandoned it. These illogical pretentions of the former SHQUP are today publicly and officially opposed by the most prestigious report in the world on doing business. We wish that this success will be recognized and not tarnished by those who couldn’t achieve this in 8 years, since it is a success that belongs to the whole country, to our economy and to the whole Albanian entrepreneurship.
Allow me to tell you in name of the Government that this is not the last success. We are determined to continue reforming all indicators of doing business and we are convinced that next year we will achieve even better results also because, even now that we are talking, we continue monitoring every indicator and improve them in favor of doing business, enterprise and attraction of foreign investments.
Thank you!
