Last year, which is still quite close to this year, we met only a few weeks after I took office.

Allow me to, once again, bring to your attention what I said in our first meeting because I think that responsibility toward every action we take and every word we say, as politicians, as representatives of the state and the government, constitutes a key element in the development of our country.

If politicians were attached to what they say, many things would have been different – much better – particularly in Albania.

For you, many things would have been easier and your investment would have been more fruitful, to you and to our country.

I have decided to not let what I say simply be words of mouth.

In our last meeting, I said that the government was committed to ensure an economic environment that provides legal guarantees, transparency and predictability; and an investment environment that would constitute an asset for the competitive advantage of all investing companies.

I promised engagement in making us partners in the development of your business and of my country.

A bit more than 100 days is not enough to ensure a very different economic and investment environment, but I hope they have been enough to show that we are moving fast in that direction and we are credible.

Among the measures adopted up to now, please let me highlight changes to the taxation system.

It has changed from one hampering the development of the country to a fair taxation contributing to sustainable development, without which it is impossible to ensure the future prosperity of any investment.

The fair taxation system alleviates the burden on the labor and reinforces society’s affordability.

We bring this system associated with the elimination of corruption tax.

According to the World Bank, corruption increased by more than 100%, so from 10% to 22% the income tax the big business paid to the previous government.

As such the fair taxation system does not constitute a burden on the big business.

At the contrary it represents an encouragement and sustainable security.

The 22% income tax on businesses, 12% of which constituted a hidden burden, was a reflection of governing by saying one thing and doing another, which won’t be the case anymore.

We declare our aims. We are plain about our politics.

We are open to discussing our policies and implementing them as declared.

In terms of the taxation system, regarding contract manufacturing, we are working on a particular fiscal deal in order to provide the toll manufacturers with the best fiscal conditions possible.

Actually, before starting the implementation of a new taxation system, we have established the National Economic Council, so that we might work more closely together and intensify our exchanges on policies being pursued with the main economic actors and, principally, big businesses.

Very soon, we will also establish an Investment Council in order to intensify our qualitative dialogue with investors and ensure its sustainability.

This council should, in the short term, assist and collaborate with the government in dissolving unsustainable procedures, time-consuming procedures, monopolies and corruption in the way of doing business and investing in Albania.

Obviously, we are extremely interested in drawing more investment.

However, we know that first of all, as the Albanian government – actually not us but due to the previous government – we are in debt to foreign investors in Albania.

And this is a debt of normal communication that does not go through political clients;

a debt of transparency, the lack of which was particularly reflected in exclusivity clauses hidden away in the dark corners of contracts that never saw the light of day; and unfair market practices that were decided in the dark corners of political clients’ meetings;

a debt of respect, that was lacking towards society, because the actions and attitude of the previous government have vested to the foreign investor, the role of someone who finds an opportunity to get extremely rich by exploiting, not developing, the resources of our country.

So while trying to make Albania an attractive country for serious foreign investors of various interests, from micro enterprises to macro entrepreneurship;

and while collaborating and cooperating with you to attract more direct foreign investment in Albania;

let’s first ensure that the best conditions are present for you, people who are already investing in, and have been investing in, our country, in spite of its difficulties.

We want to change the economic model of Albania. For it is obvious that it has generated social division; allowed abuse of the country’s resources; and allowed misuse of the potential of attracting foreign investment to the country.

The new model relies very much on the fruitful use of this potential. As such, our collaboration in this matter becomes more than important. It is vital.

However, in order to achieve this, we must change the way of governing the country. And I hope that you have already noted the change.

Thus, I want first of all to wish you a year with plenty of kept promises from the Albanian government.

Secondly, I wish this year to be a time of transformation for the image of the foreign investor in Albania.

Thirdly, I wish this year to be a time when we, together, will succeed in revealing the crucial role of the investor as an actor in the creation of prosperity and welfare for citizens and our society.

And lastly, but obviously not least, as these are related conditions, I wish you all a very productive, engaging and, above all, rewarding 2014!