Almost all the recommendations and actions in the Albanian National Environmental Action Plan need foreign funding, and agreements with many of the major international financial and development institutions have been reached. One of the experts mentioned that it is most useful to receive assistance from a Western country in connection with a subject on which that country has very relevant experience. Albania could especially benefit from assistance in the areas of transport, ecological agriculture and tourism. There has been very little cooperation with CEE neighbors. One reason is that they are also poor, and another is that after the communist system collapsed there was a natural tendency to move away from cooperation after so many years of forced alliance.
Some cooperation exists regarding the Danube River and the Black Sea, but it is limited.
Countries of the region have common histories and it would be helpful for them to cooperate in forging their own paths toward sustainable development. Regional cooperation is clearly needed on issues involving the Black Sea and the Danube River, as well as transboundary air pollution. Cooperation would also be helpful in attracting and better using foreign aid. There have been some negative experiences with western countries as well. There was a well publicized case of a German firm trying to export its hazardous waste to Bulgaria.