PRESS RELEASE 
 
PRESS/TPRB/329 
30 April 2010 
 
(10-2375) 
TRADE POLICY REVIEW: ALBANIA 
Reaping the benefits of reform and liberalization  
Over the past decade, Albania has maintained an ambitious programme of economic, legal and 
institutional reform, largely driven by WTO Membership and its desire to join the EU. In so doing, it 
has continued to engage in a remarkable process of transformation from a closed, centrally-planned economy to one that is liberal, market-o riented and private-sector driven, according to a 
WTO Secretariat report on the trade policies and practices of Albania. 
 Maintaining sound macroeconomic and fiscal policies, and reforming the business environment, 
Albania has improved productivity and achieved solid economic growth over the period of 2002-
2008, averaging 5.8% per year. Per capita GDP in nominal terms more than doubled over the period, unemployment decreased, and human development indicators suggest considerable 
improvements. 
 The report says that Albania would gain from co ntinuing and reinforcing the process of reform, 
which has yielded such positive results. Given the speed and extent of legislative changes, it is 
essential to focus on implementation and further strengthening of the judicial system. And in the 
face of current world-wide economic difficulties, Albania may need to rely more on new sources of 
growth such as attracting green-field investment and developing a stronger export base. 
 The report, along with a policy statement by the Go vernment of Albania, is  the basis for the first 
Trade Policy Review (TPR) of Albania by the Trad e Policy Review Body of the WTO on 28 and 30 
April 2010. 
 
The following documents are available in MS Wo rd format on the WTO web-site. They can be 
downloaded at http://www.wto.org/english/ tratop_e/tpr_e/tp329_e.htm  
• Secretariat reports 
> Contents and summary observations  
> Economic environment  > Trade and investment regimes  
> Trade policies and practices by measure  
> Trade policies by sector  > Appendix tables  
• Report by the Government of Albania 
• Chairperson’s concluding remarks  
• Minutes of the meeting (available appr oximately six weeks after the meeting). PRESS/TPRB/329 
Page 2 of 2 
 
 
 Note 
Trade Policy Reviews are an exercise, mandated in the WTO Agreement, in which member countries” trade and related policies are examined and evaluated at regular intervals. Significant 
developments that may have an impact on the global trading system are also monitored. For each 
review, two documents are prepared: a policy stat ement by the government of the member under 
review, and a detailed report written independently by the WTO Secretariat. These two documents are then discussed by the WTO”s full membership in the Trade Policy Review Body (TPRB). These 
documents and the proceedings of the TPRB”s meetings are published shortly afterwards.  
 Print copies of the TPR publications are available for sale from the WTO Secretariat, Centre William 
Rappard, 154 rue de Lausanne, 1211 Genève 21 and through the on-line bookshop at 
http://onlinebookshop.wto.org/shop/articles.asp?Id_Rayon=38
 
or follow this path :  
www.wto.org >resources > publications > trade policy reviews  
 The TPR publications are also available from our co-publisher Bernan  
Press, 4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, MD 20706-4346, United  
States. Please call 1-800-865-3457 or e-mail: customercare@bernan.com.” 
Next reviews: 
China: 31 May and 2 June 2010 
Malawi: 9 and 11 June 2010 
Chinese Taipei: 5 and 7 July 
 
For a full list of previous trade policy reviews and the full programme of future reviews go to 
http://www.wto.org/english/trat op_e/tpr_e/tpr_ e.htm#reviews 
or follow this path : www.wto.org > trade topics > trade policy reviews 
  
 
END