SANECA – Discussion Roundtable: The free movement of goods in Albania and the drafting of a national roadmap- June 2, 2022

On June 2, 2022, the discussion table on the free movement of goods in Albania and on the drafting of a national roadmap was held. This activity took place within the project SANECA – Civil Society Involvement Component, organized by GIZ and European Movement Albania (EMA). The meeting was attended by members of the tables for Chapters 1, 3, 20 and 28, as well as representatives from institutions and responsible state authorities, chambers of commerce and industry, manufacturers and business operators, as well as experts from civil society and universities. The activity was held in hybrid format, with physical participation at Xheko Imperial Hotel and online on the ZOOM platform.

The meeting was open by Laureta Spahiu, adviser of SANECA project, who thanked the participants and explained that in this meeting will be discussed two important issues, such as: free movement of goods and the drafting of the national roadmap for the free movement of goods. 

Julian Llupo, expert for Chapter 1, talked about the free movement of goods and reaching a legal and institutional framework. Llupo started his presentation by giving an introduction of  the wide framework of the legislation and mentioned the points that need to be improved in Albania’s case. He brought to attention general information about the forbidden products, which according to him are the core of this problem. He further highlighted that: Albania, like other aspiring countries, which have transposed the legislation of Chapter 1 partially or fully, are obliged to apply the same standards. So, a product that meets the legal obligations to be produced or imported in Albania can move freely in any EU country (eg, toys, elevators, appliances, etc.). Furthermore, he explained the benefits of free movement of goods such as: increase of security for non-food products, strengthening of free and fair competition, competitive prizes for customers etc. According to Llupo about 55% of the acts of this chapter are partly harmonised, while about 45% are still not. At the end of his presentation, he highlighted that it is very important for national producers to get acquainted with the procedures, in the early stages of implementation because this process causes various problems. Albania has had the necessary experience to write such a document, without having the necessity that this document to be set as a condition by the European Union. 

Further, the word was given to Alma Bilali, Advisor, GIZ Albania – SANECA project. She said that the request for drafting such a document as the roadmap for the movement of goods has been made by several EU reports and has been based on the experience of the other countries in the region where it is shown that negotiations for these countries are open only after meeting this condition. Albania has had the necessary time and experience to write such a document, without having the need for it to be set as a condition by the European Union. This document has a multidimensional purpose and objective. From 2020 until now has been made by the Ministry of Finance a great work to obtain inputs for the drafting and documentation of this document. The document is currently at a very advanced stage, of course it still needs improvements and data collection. According to Bilali, the document is well-structured and for its drafting, were taken into consideration the models of Montenegro and North Macedonia, but with the introduction of other additional elements. Bilali highlighted the importance of consultations because businesses still don’t have the necessary information. According to her, for business it would be more important the role of the chambers of commerce and umbrella organisations in order to take and share the necessary information about what this chapter includes and how are affected the businesses by the process.  Another very important aspect is the harmonisation of a legislation and the drafting of a directive, which gives opportunities for its adaptation. At the end of the presentation, she highlighted the importance of cooperation with groups of interest. It was with interest by the participants to know more about the monitoring and adaptation of this legislation, long-term, medium-term and short-term measures and how it is coordinated with the measures set by the National Plan for European Integration, as well as how are faced the challenges that come as a result of implementation. Further, the meeting was followed by a discussion with participants and lecturers, where there was an exchange of experiences between them. Llupo during the discussion highlighted that this legislation puts the business in front of the business with many obligations and consequently this directly affects consumers to have safe products. According to him, the consultation should include expertise and should have more detailed and targeted information. MFE has already started such a process, but it is important that operators become familiar with the obligations as the biggest challenge remains the implementation of  the legislation.