Reporting to parliament on progress in EU accession talks, Yzeiraj said reforms under the EU’s taxation and customs chapters focused on aligning the country’s legislation with the bloc’s rules, upgrading technical systems and strengthening administrative capacity.

He said the government’s 2024-2027 Medium-Term Revenue Strategy sought to improve tax administration, increase integrity across revenue institutions and boost fiscal sustainability through greater efficiency.

“Our objective is for Albania’s revenue-to-GDP ratio to exceed 29% in 2026, driven by improved revenue collection efficiency, not by tax increases,” Yzeiraj said.

He added that the government was also aligning public-private partnership rules with EU standards and implementing measures to support the agricultural sector, including a sovereign guarantee scheme covering 70% of eligible agricultural loans and a 10% reimbursement scheme for farmers developed in consultation with the European Commission.

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“Our objectives are clear – we want to be part of the 2030 World Cup,” Duka said in remarks during the presentation of new national team coach Rolando Maran.

He said the appointment of Maran marked the beginning of a new cycle for the national side.

He added that Albania’s immediate goals remain promotion through the UEFA Nations League and qualification for EURO 2028, before pursuing what he described as the country’s biggest unfulfilled ambition in football.

“Our objectives remain where we want to be – first place in the Nations League and qualification for EURO 2028, and then to continue toward an objective we have never achieved before: becoming part of a World Cup,” he said.

Duka wished Maran success with the Albanian national team, describing him as a well-known figure in Italian football with experience managing clubs in both Serie A and Serie B.

The FSHF President also thanked outgoing coach Sylvinho and his staff for their contribution to the national team.

“Together we went through a very important period filled with emotions; we laughed and cried together. In football, the end of a cycle is considered normal, and we part ways by mutual agreement,” Duka said.

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Speaking at a press conference, the Governor of the Bank of Albania Sejko said core inflation also rose to 2.6% due to higher wages and a stable exchange rate.

He noted that inflation was slightly below initial forecasts, citing lower business profit margins and easing inflation in the Eurozone.

The Bank of Albania expects inflation to return to its 3% target by mid-2026, supported by improved supply-demand balance, global price stabilization, and well-anchored domestic expectations.

“According to the Bank of Albania’s projections, inflation is expected to return to the 3% target during the first half of 2026. This trend will be supported by a better balance between demand and supply for goods and services, stabilizing global inflation, a more stable exchange rate, and clearer, well-anchored inflation expectations in the country,” Sejko stated.

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Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure and Energy, Belinda Balluku, announced Thursday that the legislation proposes a gradual annual increase of 1% in biofuel consumption starting in 2026.

The move targets a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions, as transport is the country’s leading source of CO2 pollution.

The draft law also promotes the cultivation of energy crops and the use of diverse biomass sources, emphasizing sustainability and greenhouse gas emission reductions. It aligns Albania’s policies with the European Union’s climate package and renewable energy directives.

Balluku highlighted that the legislation includes fiscal incentives to encourage biofuel production and use, accompanied by regulatory measures for monitoring. The government expects these measures to not only support environmental goals but also generate increased state revenue.

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Governor Gent Sejko, Ambassador of Switzerland to Albania Ruth Huber, as well as 25 researchers from the central banks of Austria, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, North Macedonia, Italy, Türkiye, attended the 18th South-Eastern European Economic Research Workshop in Tirana.

The event also saw the participation of university professors from Budapest, Bucharest, Barcelona, Milan, London, Tirana and international institutions, including the World Bank, Joint Vienna Institute and Swiss Tourism Management Institute.

Central bank governor Sejko noted that the meeting takes place at a time when the global economy faces increased uncertainties that come from an unstable environment of inflation and interest rates, but also political and institutional uncertainties that create ground for changes important policies and governance in the coming years.

Sejko underlined that the Albanian economy has undergone important structural changes, related to the rapid growth of tourism and construction, demographic changes related to the aging of the population, its migration, as well as the EU integration process.

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Addressing a meeting with business community on the latest government’s initiative designed to streamline the administrative business procedures, PM Rama said that tourism sector enjoyed a boom this year.

“We have recorded 1.1 million visitors in September, according to official data I was provided with this morning. If such a trend will continue in December, we will deliver on the 10 million tourists target this year. However, we are confident that the number of visitors to Albania this year will surge to nine million,” Rama said.

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