TIRANA, November 14 – The head of the International Monetary Fund mission in Albania, Anke Weber, said Albania remains one of the fastest-growing economies in Europe. She spoke at the closing conference of the International Monetary Fund mission in Albania.

Weber said the International Monetary Fund expects real Gross Domestic Product growth of 3.5 percent in 2025 and 3.6 percent in 2026. She linked the outlook to strong domestic demand and the tourism sector.

She underlined that careful fiscal policies have sharply reduced public debt in recent years. She added that proactive monetary policy helped bring inflation below the target.

Weber said the banking sector remains liquid and well capitalised. She noted that unemployment has reached historic lows. External imbalances have narrowed as well.

She then turned to the challenges. Weber warned that fiscal pressures, including from social spending and defence spending, could erode fiscal space if left unaddressed. The International Monetary Fund recommends increasing low revenues by advancing the property-tax reform and strengthening revenue administration through information technology and data-based improvements.

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