TIRANA, Oct 3 /ATA/ Minister of Finance and Economy, Delina Ibrahimaj, stated on Monday that the Albanian economy grew by 2.23% in the second quarter of this year, compared to the same period a year ago.
During a press conference on the progress of economy so far, Ibrahimaj said that growth slowed down in comparison to the first quarter, when the level was 6.5%.
The main contribution, she said, was made by the trade, transport, accommodation and food service sector.
“In the 6-month period, the Albanian economy has grown by 4.17%. The Ministry of Finance and Economy stands by the forecasts at the beginning of the year for an economic growth of 3.2% during the year 2022. We even expect that the growth can be over 3.2%,” the minister said.
Regarding the comparison with the regional countries, Ibrahimaj emphasized that Albania recorded the highest growth rate in the region after Montenegro.
“Other countries of the region such as Kosovo, North Macedonia and Serbia recorded a lower growth rate in the 6-month period. Montenegro is the only country in the region that has had a higher growth of 9.64%,” the minister said.
Referring to a review carried out by MoFE, to understand how each economy has buffered the effects of the crisis, Ibrahimaj said that compared to 2019, economic activity in the first half of the year has increased to 7.75%.
“While other countries such as Kosovo, North Macedonia and Montenegro have not yet buffered the effects of the pandemic crisis. Serbia is the only country other than Albania, that has had a significantly higher growth than in 2019,” she said. /j.p/sm/
