ROME (ITALPRESS) – A very close relationship, which has enabled the growth of two countries and consolidated an economic bond that aims to improve further: the ‘sisterhood’ between Italy and Albania and the desire to build the future together are at the center of the reflection of Sergio Fontana, president of Confindustria Albania, interviewed by Claudio Brachino for the Italpress news agency’s Diplomacy Magazine TV format.
Dwelling in particular on the relationship between Puglia and Albania, Fontana highlights how “it is absolutely flourishing and rich in collaborations on a cultural, anthropological and economic level: we are talking about two peoples united and not divided by the Adriatic Sea. In times of difficulty Apulia has given a great hand to our Albanian friends, allowing landings in Brindisi and Bari, but they themselves came to our rescue when we needed doctors for Covid-19: plus Italy is Albania’s first trading partner, in terms of both imports and exports.”
Speaking of the interconnection between the business worlds of the two countries, explains the number one of Confindustria Albania, “there are more than 200 companies from the area registered with our association, while there are a few thousand Italian companies in Albania. The relocation of these companies there began in the early 1990s, because they wanted to delocalize and have low-cost labor: they were doing low value-added activities with high manual skills, but today companies located in Albania are developing Information and Communication Technology, offering services to companies all over the world. There are great opportunities in the country, which come from the presence of excellent universities: Confindustria Albania is the most influential trade association in the area, there are realities that come not only from Puglia but also from other areas such as Sicily and Veneto.”
Fontana then recounts the evolution of the economic landscape: “Business has changed a lot in recent years: at the beginning there were great difficulties, because Albania had to adopt a series of procedures and rules to get closer to Europe, but the steps forward have been extraordinary in terms of infrastructure, legislation, and the fight against corruption. There is still much more to be done, but there is also a lot of desire for the future.”
– Italpress Photo –
(ITALPRESS).
