./. RESTRICTED  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  S/C/W/239 
21 April 2004 
 ( 04-1793 ) 
  
Council for Trade in Services Original:   English 
 
 
 
REPUBLIC OF ALBANIA 
 
Rectification of Schedule of Specific Commitments  
 
 
 The following communication has been receiv ed from the delegation of the Republic of 
Albania with the request that it be circulated to  Members in accordance with  the "Procedures for the 
Certification of Rectifications or Improvements to Schedules of Specific Commitments" (S/L/84). In 
accordance with these Procedures, if no objections are communicated to the Secretariat within 45 days 
from the date of this communication, the rectificat ion procedure shall be c oncluded and the intended 
rectifications (see attached draft schedule) shall be certified and will constitute an integral part of the 
Schedule of Specific Commitments of the Republic of Albania (GATS/SC/131). 
 
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1. In the Schedule of Specific Commitments of the Republic of Albania (GATS/SC/131), the 
horizontal commitment on real estate under mode 3 reads as follows:  
 3) Natural and juridical foreign persons th at intend to supply services or are supplying 
services in the territory of Republic of Al bania will be entitled to lease or to buy non-
agricultural land necessary to carry out their business whether the land is state-owned or 
privately owned. To buy state-owned non-agricultural land the value of investment at the certain land must be three times higher than th e value of non-agricultural land. The Council 
of the Ministers defines the value of non-agri cultural land when it is state-owned  property. 
 No restrictions apply with regard to the ac quisition of private land as well as leasing of land. 
 
2. In the process of its negotiations on the St abilization and Association Agreement with the 
European Union, Albania has re-examined its whol e legislation including the legislation on the 
purchase and rent of non-agricultural land. Albani a has noticed that the commitment related to 
purchasing of land is a misinterpretation of Ar ticle 5 of Law No. 7980 on "Sales and Purchases of 
Sites" dated 27 July 1995.  
3. As this law is still in force and is being im plemented without change, Albania requests that 
the horizontal commitment on real estate under mode 3 in its Schedule be corrected to read:  
 3) Natural and juridical foreign persons th at intend to supply services or are supplying 
services in the territory of the Republic of Al bania will be entitled to lease or to buy non-
agricultural land necessary to carry out their business whether the land is state-owned or 
privately owned. To buy non-agricultural land the value of investment at the certain land must 
be three times higher than the value of non-agricultural land.  
 
4. Please find attached the draft schedule indicating the rectifications.  
 S/C/W/239 
Page 2 
 
ALBANIA: Schedule of Specific Commitments                                                                                                                    GATS/SC/131 
Modes of supply:               1)   Cross-border supply              2)   Consumption abroad              3)   Commercial presence                4)   Presence of 
natural persons 
Sector or subsector Limitations on market  access Limitations on national treatment Additional  
commitments 
I.  HORIZONTAL COMMITMENTS 
Real Estate  3) Natural and juridical foreign persons that 
intend to supply services or are supplying 
services in the territory of the Republic of 
Albania will be entitled  to lease or to buy non-
agricultural land necessary to carry out their 
business whether the land  is state-owned  or 
privately owned. To buy state -owned  non-
agricultural land the value of investment at the 
certain land must be three times higher than the 
value of non –agricultural land. The Council of 
the Ministers defines the value of non -
agricultural land when it is  state owned  
property.  
 
 No restrictions apply with regard to the 
acquisition of private land as well as leasing of 
land.   
 
 
 
 
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