Minister Ibrahimaj Presents National Programme to Prepare Albanian Businesses for the EU Single Market

As part of Albania’s EU accession process, the National Programme for Preparing Businesses for European Union Integration was introduced in Tirana. Its goal is to help Albanian businesses become more competitive and ready for the EU Single Market.
Prime Minister Edi Rama and business representatives attended the event, where Minister of Economy and Innovation Delina Ibrahimaj emphasized that one of the main pillars of Albania’s EU membership process is the economy and businesses’ readiness for the EU Single Market. The Minister claims that the program’s goal is to assist Albanian companies in meeting European standards and capitalizing on the prospects presented by a market with almost 450 million customers.
The program’s four primary pillars, according to Minister Ibrahimaj, are evaluating business readiness, disseminating information and increasing awareness, fostering skill development through training, and boosting competitiveness through funding, automation, certification, and digital and green transformation.
The program intends to reach 48,000 businesses this year and create a network of specialists in addition to a single digital platform that will provide businesses training and certification programs. An outreach campaign will begin nationwide in October, during which organizations will interact directly with companies to advise them on the opportunities and requirements resulting from Albania’s EU integration process.
Minister Ibrahimaj further emphasized that the government is still implementing changes to enhance the business environment in addition to this initiative. The guarantee fund for lending to small and medium-sized businesses has grown to €250 million this year, she said, while Albanian startups have received €16.5 million in support during the previous four years. The government has also made investments in vocational education and training, she continued, and has created new plans to boost exports and assist the expansion of small and medium-sized businesses.