TIRANA, June 26 /ATA/ – Main opposition Democratic Party lawmaker Jorida Tabaku said on Friday that corruption, money laundering and state capture have become key channels for foreign influence in Albania and the Western Balkans, arguing that strengthening democratic institutions is essential to countering external interference.
Speaking at the International Republican Institute’s (IRI) conference, “Countering Authoritarian Influence,” Tabaku said foreign actors are able to exert influence where institutions are weak, corruption is tolerated, transparency is lacking and public trust in the state has eroded.
Referring to Albania and the wider Western Balkans, the Democratic Party MP said corruption, money laundering, organized crime and state capture should be viewed not only as governance challenges but also as threats to national security.
“Economic security is national security. Energy security is national security. Technological security is national security. The same applies to financial transparency,” Tabaku said, arguing that democracies should develop safeguards against strategic dependencies.
She said Albania should introduce a modern foreign direct investment (FDI) screening framework to review investments in critical sectors, including infrastructure, energy, telecommunications, ports, data and strategic technologies.
According to Tabaku, such a mechanism would not discourage investment but would help ensure that economic openness does not become a strategic vulnerability.
She also highlighted legislative proposals aimed at strengthening anti-money laundering and anti-corruption measures, including greater transparency of companies’ beneficial ownership, stricter oversight of large financial transactions, increased transparency in public procurement and measures to prevent illicit capital from entering strategic sectors of the economy.
Tabaku said artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure, data and advanced technologies had become key elements of geopolitical competition and urged Albania to strengthen institutions capable of attracting trusted investment and fostering innovation.
She called on international partners to assess Western Balkan countries based on their implementation of reforms rather than political commitments, and urged regional lawmakers to treat anti-money laundering measures, beneficial ownership transparency and strategic investment screening as tools for safeguarding national sovereignty.
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