Between the European Union and its member states and the Republic of Albania, there is a “Stabilization and Association Agreement” (SAA).
The Interim Agreement on Trade and Trade Cooperation between the European Community and the Republic of Albania began to be implemented on the 1st of December 2006, Law No. 9591, issued 27.07.2006, to implement this Agreement as quickly as feasible in terms of trade and trade cooperation.
Albanian industrial products are subject to a 0% preferential customs tariff when exported to EU countries. The parties have mutually agreed on preferential tariffs and tariff quotas for agricultural products. See the Stabilization and Association Agreement’s Chapter II “Agriculture and Fisheries,” Article 27 “Agricultural Products,” Article 28 “Fishery Products,” and Protocol 2 “On trade between Albania and the Community in the processed agricultural sector.”
Agreement with CEFTA Member States 2006
The Amending and Extending of the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA) was signed in Bucharest on December 19, 2006, and implementation began in 2007. Albania, Montenegro, Kosovo, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, and Moldova are the nations that implement this agreement among themselves. They were fully liberalized only after 2014 when all participating nations implemented the Additional Protocol II to the Pact when the agreement was first put into effect.
Free Trade Agreement with Turkey
In May 2008, the Free Trade Agreement between the Republic of Albania and the Republic of Turkey came into effect.
Exports of Albanian and Turkish industrial items have been liberalized.
The parties have agreed to provide each other with preferred tariffs and tariff quotas in the case of agricultural products. Protocol I of this Agreement contains a list of items. This Protocol’s Annex I offers a list of farm products from Turkey, and Annex II contains a list of agriculture products from Albania.
All additional agricultural items not listed in these Annexes will be exported and imported, subject to customs taxes.
Free Trade Agreement with the EFTA Member States
During 2010-2011, the Republic of Albania and the EFTA Member States signed a free trade agreement, as well as agreements on agriculture between the Republic of Albania and the Swiss Confederation and the Principality of Liechtenstein, the Republic of Albania, and the Kingdom of Norway, and the Republic of Albania and the Republic of Iceland.
Since the Agreement entered into force, customs duties on industrial products, fish, and other sea products have been eliminated.
Tariff concessions for processed agricultural products are also included in the deal (Protocol A). Three bilateral agreements between the EFTA members and Albania concern fundamental agricultural products trade. Both sides make concessions under these accords.
The U.S. Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) Program
The Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) is a US trade policy that promotes economic growth in developing nations by allowing up to 3,500 products from 128 countries, including Albania and Kosovo, to enter duty-free. The GSP program is designed to offer these exports a competitive advantage in the US market.
Companies and customers in the United States are particularly interested in purchasing goods through the GSP program since exports are not subject to tariffs when they enter the country.
Many commodities qualify for duty-free treatment under the GSP. Most manufactured commodities; manufacturing inputs; jewels; various varieties of carpets; certain agricultural and fishery products; and a variety of chemicals, marble, and minerals are among them.
Treaties for the Avoidance of Double Taxation
Albania has signed Conventions with some nations to avoid double taxation and prevent fiscal evasion in the areas of income and capital taxes, which have precedence over Albanian domestic legislation.
In force are the following tax treaties:
Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Italy, Sweden, Greece, Malta, Belgium, Netherlands, France, Norway, Switzerland, Romania, and Bulgaria. There are also countries like Macedonia (FYROM) and Kosovo (UNMIK). China, Egypt.
Diagonal cumulation
(Based on the notion that allows you to import items from countries that, after a given amount of processing, appear to be their own.) The Free Trade Agreements that Albania, Croatia, Macedonia, and Serbia have signed with the EFTA States foresee the use of diagonal cumulation.
