In a social media statement, Tabaku said the proposed reduction of the VAT registration threshold to 5 million lek and the application of the standard 21% VAT rate would increase costs for small businesses.

She warned that the changes would leave businesses with less room to invest, put pressure on them to raise prices and create greater uncertainty for families dependent on their income.

“Small businesses support families. The government is increasing their burden,” Tabaku said, stressing that behind every shop, workshop and office are people working to provide for their households.

She called on the government to support small businesses and working people rather than impose additional tax burdens on them.

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In a statement posted on social media, Tabaku wrote that, ” Albania opened today with news of sweeping security measures targeting the head of the State Intelligence Service (SHISH) and a raid at the home of the former State Police Director. The operations are part of a broader investigation linked to Ergys Agasi and the AKSHI files”.

According to her, “President of the Republic must immediately convene the National Security Council. It must be clarified whether state information, the functioning of institutions and citizen safety have been compromised.” /p.s./

Speaking about the exchange rate, Takabu said that while the numbers might look good, a falling euro hurts exporters. They get less lek from their sales, leaving them short on cash for wages and bills.

“The façon sector, representing roughly 30% of goods exports and tens of thousands of jobs, faces severe strain. A weak euro triggers factory closures, canceled contracts and layoffs, while opaque foreign exchange inflows continue to artificially inflate the lek without clear justification,” she said.

Commenting on economic growth, Tabaku noted that in 2025, industry contracted by 3.72% while agriculture declined by 2.5%. She highlighted that public administration, education, healthcare, and net taxes collectively drove roughly 77% of the overall 3.66% growth rate. According to Tabaku, this proves the economy is currently being sustained by government spending rather than private enterprise. She argued that beneath the official narrative, the core sectors meant to produce, export, and generate employment are in retreat. While short-term metrics can easily be used as propaganda, they cannot mask the reality of closing factories, lost jobs, and families struggling to make ends meet. /m.q/j.p/p.s./

In her commentary column “Weekend Corner,” Tabaku traced the law’s timeline—from its initial passage through multiple extensions—to the ongoing discussions surrounding its potential repeal.

Originally pitched as a temporary way to draw foreign investment and build key industries, a decade later the law has instead enabled the unfair distribution of public property, said Tabaku.

DP MP tied this issue to changes in the tourist ports law, arguing that the updates let strategic investors bypass standard competitive bidding. She pointed to the Durrës Yacht & Marina project as a prime example of public land handed over without a fair, open contest.

Tabaku dismissed Rama’s ‘Besa’ initiative, arguing that a government cannot demand public trust for reforms under the exact system it created and maintained.

According to the Democratic MP, the repeal of the law on strategic investments would be an important step in changing the model of favors and restoring competition in the economy./ /gj.m/ a.jor./p.s./

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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Tabaku said that she has met with citizens, pensioners, middle-class families and businesses and their main concern has been the increase in prices and the difficulty of affording a living.

According to her, the soaring living costs are making Albania increasingly unaffordable for locals.

The DP MP emphasized that during the last 10 years, prices in Albania have increased by 51.1%, while incomes, according to her, have increased minimally, turning Albania into one of the most expensive and unaffordable countries in the region.

She attributed this situation to a rigged economic model dominated by monopolies and a lack of competition.

She accused the ruling majority of favoring a minority connected to power through special laws and fiscal policies, while burdening ordinary citizens and businesses. /m.m/a.f/p.s./

Bardhi and Tabaku recognized the senator as a key champion of Albania’s EU integration and a true friend of the nation.

During the meeting, the Democrat MPs acquainted the senator with the developments in Albania, while expressing the unwavering stance of the DP to advance the country’s European integration process.

“We are committed to pushing this vital process forward by confronting, rather than hiding, the critical issues threatening Albania’s progress,” they said.

Bardhi and Tabaku emphasized that, “The Democratic Party, in alignment with its international partners, maintains that EU integration must be merit-based and contingent upon the tangible fulfillment of European standards.”

“Unfortunately, Albania currently fails to meet democratic standards. The ruling majority has dismantled key pillars of democratic governance, undermining electoral integrity and enabling a system where organized crime and systemic corruption are shielded”, they said. /m.m/a.f/p.s./

Tabaku told a regular parliament session the amendments put forward by the ruling Socialist Party were unilateral and ran counter to a Constitutional Court ruling that, she said, had upheld the opposition’s position.

She said the changes would weaken the functioning of parliamentary committees and limit the role of the opposition, while also criticising what she described as a lack of broad consultation on the matter.

“The proposed amendments breach the rules of parliamentary coexistence and infringe on the rights of opposition-led committees,” Tabaku said, adding that they would concentrate powers in so-called “super-committees”.

The opposition lawmaker also raised concerns over what she described as insufficient parliamentary scrutiny of key international reports related to Albania’s EU path.

She noted that parliament had yet to debate earlier reports by the U.S. State Department and the European Commission, even as new assessments are being published and the European Parliament prepares to adopt its next report on Albania’s accession process on May 6.

According to Tabaku, parliament should prioritise issues such as the fight against organised crime and corruption, as well as the business climate, which are central to EU integration.

She warned that a lack of transparency and inclusiveness was harming the process.

Tabaku added that Albania’s EU integration was at a “crossroads”, describing it as a process “being carried out only on paper” without adequate public and institutional engagement.

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Speaking to media ahead of a parliamentary debate, Tabaku said she had formally alerted the European Commission, EU competition authorities, the European Parliament, and the EU delegation in Tirana about what she described as violations contained in the draft law.

According to Tabaku, amendments to the bill conflict with key EU legislative chapters, including Chapters 5, 8, and 14. She said the law is part of a recurring pattern in which public assets are allocated without competition or transparency.

“This is another politically driven law, one of dozens passed to protect specific interests rather than the public good,” Tabaku said, adding that accelerated parliamentary procedures prevent proper debate and consultation.

Tabaku called on European institutions and member states to monitor legislative developments closely, stressing that EU integration requires practical implementation of standards, not just formal compliance on paper.

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In a video message, Tabaku argued that the economy has increasingly become “an economy of privilege” that no longer generates sufficient domestic production, citing recent data as evidence.

According to her, economic activity is largely sustained by public administration and the construction sector, rather than by a diversified, competitive market.

“Practically, there is no longer a free market economy; it is a controlled economy,” she said.

Tabaku also linked rising prices to high taxation and fiscal policies, which she said disproportionately burden the majority while favoring a small group.

She pointed in particular to fuel costs, arguing that taxes account for a significant share of prices and contribute to broader inflation affecting household goods.

She concluded that an economy reliant on limited sectors and shaped by unequal policies risks constraining growth, increasing the cost of living and slowing Albania’s long-term development.

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