Roundtable "Albania's Journey to the EU: Lessons Learned from Polish Experience”
20.06.2025
On June 13, a roundtable conference entitled "Albania's Journey to the EU: Lessons Learned from Polish Experience - Managing economic transition through effective utilization of EU funds" was held in Tirana. The event was co-organized by the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Tirana and research and consulting institutions: Impact Assessment Institute (IAI) and Creative Business Solutions (CBS). The special guest of the Embassy and the main speaker was Prof. Marek Belka.
In his opening speech, the head of the mission, Wojciech Unolt, drew attention to the main challenges facing Albania on its path to EU accession (adapting legislation, preparing the state apparatus to function in the conditions of a member state, educating staff and acquiring the know-how necessary to effectively spend EU funds). He also presented Poland's development achievements since 2004, which make Poland an example of successful transformation thanks to integration with the EU common market and full use of EU funds. He emphasized that the round table is part of the agenda of the Polish presidency of the EU Council, which aims to support the accession processes of candidate countries both in Eastern Europe and in the Balkans.
The next speaker, Deputy Minister of Economy, Culture and Innovation, Enkelejd Musabelliu, described the ongoing process of strengthening the links of the Albanian economy with global markets, as well as the impact of foreign investment and tourism on the Albanian economy.
The next speaker was Enio Jaço, Director of Creative Business Solutions (CBS), formerly Director of the Tirana office of the American Chamber of Commerce. He presented the conclusions of a report prepared jointly by IAI and CBS on the projected impact of EU policies on three selected sectors of the Albanian economy and state finances. The report entitled The Impact of EU Accession on Three Consequential Sectors of the Albanian Economy. Seizing opportunities and managing shocks in the EU Accession process was published on the organizers' website.
In the second part of the event, Prof. Marek Belka presented his assessment of the Polish economic transformation related to EU accession, emphasizing its success and at the same time high costs. In his opinion, the transformation took place in Poland faster and more efficiently than in other countries starting from a similar level. He described the cross-sectional changes that have taken place in the Polish economy and administration in connection with EU accession as a civilizational advancement.
The Q&A session, in which all the speakers took part, among others discussed topics concerned topics such as: opportunities and threats for Albanian agriculture and food production related to adaptation to European standards, education of civil servants and equipping them with knowledge and skills necessary in the EU, the importance of EU accession for young people and its impact on demography – Albania is already a country of mass emigration, and joining the EU may further intensify this process.
The event was attended by approx. 90 participants representing the Albanian state administration, business, non-governmental organizations, universities. In addition to the aforementioned Deputy Ministers of Economy, also present were, among others, Deputy Minister of Finance Florian Semani, former Minister of Finance Arben Malaj and Director of the Department of Good Governance in the Prime Minister's Office Enea Hoti (graduate of the University of Warsaw). The event, including in particular the speech of prof. M. Belka, was very highly rated by the participants.
Prof. Marek Belka also gave interviews for Euronews Albania television and daily news on-line platform Monitor.
