TIRANA, February 19 – Finance Minister Petrit Malaj held an official meeting with Nicolas Forissier, the French Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade and Economic Attractiveness, and his accompanying delegation.

During the meeting, both sides discussed the progress of bilateral cooperation and ways to further strengthen it in the future. They focused on European integration, sustainable development, and the promotion of bilateral investments.

Minister Malaj praised the continued support provided by the French government to Albania. He also highlighted the reforms implemented by the Albanian government and emphasized the significant potential to expand economic cooperation between the two countries.

Malaj invited French investors to increase their presence in Albania by investing in priority economic sectors, including tourism, agriculture, infrastructure, and digitalization.

He expressed gratitude for France’s support of Albania’s progress toward European Union membership. He specifically noted the public support of the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, for Albania’s goal of completing the technical alignment with EU law by 2027.

The meeting also focused on the role of the French Development Agency in Albania’s economic development. The agency supports projects across multiple sectors.

Since 2021, the French Development Agency has committed 330 million euros, including 270 million euros in policy-based budget support for energy, green development, and gender policy, and 60 million euros for infrastructure investments.

Five agreements signed with the agency are sovereign loans. Three have been fully disbursed, while two are in the process of disbursement.

The agency has become one of Albania’s most strategic development partners. The portfolio of cooperation with France is expected to expand significantly. It will contribute to sectors such as energy, water, digitalization, information technology, and the environment.

/a.p./