NEWSLETTER
MARS 2015
COSME AGREEMENT, FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR SMES
NEW / ECONOMIC AND
SOCIAL INTEGRATION
Elżbieta Bieńkowska, European Commissioner for Internal Market, Industry,
Entrepreneurship and SMEs, and Arben Ahmetaj, Albanian Minister of Economic
Development, Trade and Entrepreneurship, signed an Agreement formalising the entry of
Albania in the Competitiveness of Enterprises and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
Programme (COSME).
Commissioner Bieńkowska said, "I welcome Albania to the group of countries that can
benefit from the COSME funds."
More broadly on COSME and SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) policy, the
Commissioner added, "Access to finance remains an important hurdle for SMEs. I want
to use the financing possibilities of our COSME programme efficiently, and in parallel
hear ideas on how to further reduce red tape and promote entrepreneurship for SMEs."
OF
GIRLS AND WOMEN VICTIMS
OF TRAFFICKING
On March 18th, 2015 was held the round table,
“New / Economic and Social Integration of girls and
women victims of trafficking” organized from The
International Organization for Migration (IOM).
The Albanian Investment Development Agency
presented the role and the support of the agency for
women in business through the Creative Economy
Fund and the Credit Fund for Women
Entrepreneurs;
AIDA’s experts presented the grant schemes
offered from the agency and also emphasized the
importance of assisting this category. The
presentations encouraged participants and generated
interest discussions for them.
COSME is the EU programme aimed at strengthening the competitiveness and
sustainability of SMEs running from 2014-2020 with a budget of EUR 2.3bn.
Albania is the fifth country outside the EU to join and contribute to the programme, after
Montenegro, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Moldova and Turkey.
The meeting was attended by stakeholders from the
Ministry of Social Welfare and Youth, Ministry of
Interior, Ministry of Education, National
Employment Service and a number of associations
that are involved in the protection of the women
rights of and their society integration.
COOPERATION BETWEEN ALBANIA AND
STATISTICS, INSTAT:
THE NETHERLANDS ON CORPORATE
EMPLOYEES NUMBER
SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
INCREASED
On March 4th The Embassy of Netherlands in Albania in collaboration with The Ministry
of Economic Development, Trade, Tourism and Enterpreneurship organized a
conference for the purpose to inform the private and public sectors, the civil society
member and organizations which operate in country for the importance of fostering the
Corporation Social Responsibility in Albania.
The conference was attended by the Netherlands ambassador to Tirana, Dewi van de
Weerd, the permanent coordinator of United Nations Zineb Touimi-Benjelloun, the
president of Corporation Social Responsibility program in Albania Adamantios Frantzis
and the Deputy Minister of Economic Development Ervin Mete.
Businesses of a country should not only
look after their own profits but it is
needed that they play their role in the
improvement of a good society. For this,
the Corporation Social Responsibility
program was presented to Albania, with
the aim to raise awareness on the
importance of being responsible for the
society in which a corporation operates,
and to take in consideration the positive
and negative effects it may cause in a
country.
On 12th of March, in a media statement Prime
Minister Rama revealed that in the last 3 months of
2014 the number of employees has increased by
82.629 people. This data refers to the Labour Force
Survey produced from INSTAT.
The number of people aged between 15 and 64
years old not included in the labor market has
dropped to 105.113. In annual terms, employment
rose by 8.5% compared to the fourth quarter of
2013.
Processing industry, market service activities and
construction sector increased by 27.4%, 14.8% and
14.6% respectively.
AIDA considers itself to be part of this success not
only as part of the Government’s strategy into
objectives, but also on results..
This is clearly seen in the successful implementation
of the Fason Package as an important indicator of
business performance in Albania.
The cooperation of all stakeholders in assisting
businesses, packages and facilitative policies
introduced to the market translate successfully into
figures that the Prime Minister gave in reference to
employment increase in Albania.
SUMMIT, RAMA:
FREE OIL BLOCKS AVAILABLE TO INVESTORS
Some of the most prestigious companies in the world in the
In addition, the Albanian government will carry out the
field of hydrocarbons joined today in Tirana, in a two-day
seismic profiling in the free marine blocks, in order to
summit on energy. The aim is to promote Albania’s natural
prepare the necessary data base to organize auctions for
resources and give information on the provision procedures
other free blocks in the sea. A total of 13 free blocks of oil
for free blocks of oil and gas.
and gas are counted in the country. They are spread out in
different areas and for all of them previous searches have
The Ministry of Energy and IRN International opened the
been conducted, with the conclusion that there is potential
proceedings of the first day of "Albania Oil, Gas & Energy
for reservations. Blocks are mainly located in the eastern
2015". Companies SOCAR, Shell, BP, Exxon Mobil,
and southeastern area.
Anadarko, ENI, Fluxis, NIS and Repsol were the special
guests of this two-day summit.
Minister Gjiknuri said that very soon the Ministry of Energy
will start procedures for the provision of the first three blocks
for research to interested companies through competitive
negotiation procedures, with the aim to attract more serious
companies that could afford investments in new research in
Albania. This will avoid past failures, Gjiknuri continued,
where oil blocks were given to not serious actors, who were
unable to fulfill the commitments made.