All sectors are open to foreign investors and there are no legal barriers to market entry. The government has made significant reforms to ease trade and encourage foreign direct investment, including in administrative procedures, customs, business registration, licensing, payment of taxes, e-services, and e-procurement.  Nevertheless, major challenges remain:

Corruption:  Corruption is endemic in Albania, including in the judicial system.  This subject is covered in depth in the Investment Climate Statement Chapter.

Weak judicial system and poor enforcement of contracts:  While implementation of judicial reform is underway, courts remain slow, inefficient, and subject to political pressure and corruption. Enforcement of court decisions remains problematic.

Property issues:  The official register of property titles is incomplete and poorly maintained.  Multiple claims to the same property are common, and there are legislative and legal gaps regarding restitution and compensation.

Lack of proper infrastructure:  Albania’s infrastructure requires further investment, despite improvements in recent years.

Frequent legislative changes:  Private investors complain about frequent legislative changes and that final versions of laws and regulations often fail to address their comments and concerns.  Also, the comment periods available to business community are not always respected.