The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Anila Denaj, presented two important draft laws for the development of this sector in the country to the Parliamentary Commission of Productive Activities, Trade, and Environment: the “Veterinary Service in the Republic of Albania” and the “Fisheries” law.

According to Minister Denaj, these two laws not only align Albania’s legal framework with that of the European Union, but most importantly, they establish much better regulations for food safety, particularly with the veterinary law, and also contribute to greater economic development in the fishing sector through the fisheries law.

“Specifically, in Albania today, we have greatly improved the management of products related to the livestock sector, including vaccination and animal care. However, this law addresses a previous legal gap. With these changes, this gap is fully covered, ensuring the entire traceability chain. It also guarantees complete vaccination concerning products that, in our veterinary pharmacies, are now easier to trace and understand their quality,” said Denaj. She added that Prime Minister Rama’s government has, over the years, focused on the undeniable economic potential of Albania’s water resources, including both marine and aquatic products.

The Minister emphasized that last year, Albania achieved an export level of nearly 144 million euros, a higher value than the previous year. “We aim for even greater production in the coming years as a result of this legal change. This is because we are moving into deeper, open waters and ensuring the certification of more ships through this law. Today, the fleet consists of 811 fishing vessels, and the ease provided by this law to license more vessels, in line with international standards, enables greater fish production and processing,” said the Minister.

Denaj also noted that the government has recently approved the Blue Economy initiative in the Council of Ministers, which includes a 25 million euro loan from the Italian government to support the land-based infrastructure that serves the country’s fish production. There are nine docks or small ports that support artisanal fishing, and two markets meeting international standards—those in Saranda and Shkodra—will join the international-standard market already established in Vlora.

Referring to the “Veterinary” law, the Minister mentioned that there has been an active public consultation process. “There have been 15 requests from interest groups, including the Veterinary Order, which has been very active given its role. There are 1,200 veterinarians in the Republic of Albania who will directly benefit from these new regulations. I hope these rules are clear to the public, but most importantly, they guarantee our main objective: food security,” stated Denaj.