Ersida Teliti from the Albanian Consumer Center stressed today that Albania needs a public awareness campaign for farmers and food-related businesses. The campaign should inform them about their obligations and the challenges linked to EU integration.

Earlier today, Teliti spoke at the National Council for Integration in Parliament. There, participants discussed how to address the 2025 European Commission Report recommendations on food safety as part of Albania’s EU accession process.

In attendance were Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Andis Salla, Socialist parliamentary group leader Taulant Balla, and other civil society representatives.

Teliti highlighted that while 95% of Albanians support EU integration, over 75% do not trust the institutions responsible for food safety. Therefore, she called for immediate action to strengthen institutional capacities.

She explained that aligning Albanian legislation with EU standards requires strong enforcement. For this reason, all institutions should retain the institutional knowledge of trained inspectors. Even those who cannot continue working must still be valued for their expertise.

Teliti also pointed out that the Food Safety Authority (AKU) and inspectorate reforms are very sensitive issues. Thus, AKU and the 12 regional directorates should remain outside broader inspectorate reform efforts. Instead, authorities should strengthen laboratories—not only the ISUV lab but also labs in all 12 regional directorates. Currently, after one minister’s reform, there are only seven labs. Ideally, every regional directorate would have its own laboratory.

Furthermore, she stressed the importance of traceability from farm to table. Specifically, inspections at border points must link directly to final consumers.

Finally, Teliti underlined that all businesses, especially small farmers, must understand their responsibilities. She warned that waiting until Albania becomes an EU member will be too late to protect farmers from bankruptcy caused by unmet EU standards. “We already see the challenges and gaps today,” she said.

/a.c/