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Tourism is a key channel through which Albania can achieve sustainable long-term growth while safeguarding the environment. The tourism industry has emerged as a significant contributor to growth with 3.5 million inbound tourists in 2014 and therefore has become a strategic sector for growth and employment. Albania has significant endowments suited to tourism development across the whole country and with the potentials the tourism sector has for growth, a shift from the traditional and regional markets toward the EU and other high-income countries is required.

Law No. 55/2015, dated 28 May 2015 "On strategic investments in the Republic of Albania" ("Law 55/2015") lays down the rules and procedures to be implemented by the government bodies during the examination of strategic investments and the support/ services provided to strategic national and/ or foreign investors. Law 55/2015 defines as strategic sectors the following: (...) electronic communications and urban waste (...)

The goal of the sectorial policies is the development of a sustainable and competitive agriculture and agro – processing sector, to promote a balanced economic development in rural areas, paving the way towards the integration of the agricultural sector and food processing in the EU, as a basis for growth, improvement of living standards and poverty reduction in the rural areas. To achieve this goal during 2010-2015, domestic financial support to agriculture is increased, complying with WTO Agreement on Agriculture. Since 2014, the national support schemes are redesigned, including schemes aimed at improving the technologies of cultivation, support in investment capacities, processing lines, etc.

The policy for agriculture and rural development encompasses:
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• Consolidation of the Domestic support scheme; the focus is mainly the financial support to farmers, support for investments in rural infrastructure (water supply, irrigation, drainage and roads) and other interventions. Support for farmers is provided through annual support schemes and sectors that have been supported, particularly: (i) fruits, nuts, olives and vines, vegetables, milk, organic products, cultivation of medicinal plants, snails breeding; (ii) promotion of rural credits in agro-processing and mechanization of agriculture through interest rate subsidy; (iii) investment in capacity building for storage and collection, processing lines, etc.
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A business and investment strategy has recently been adopted and is itself part of the wider national development and integration strategy, whose main aim is the integration in the medium term of Albania within the European Union. The business and investment strategy is therefore aligned with the EU industrial policy as reflected by the "Europe 2020" document and the South East Europe 2020 strategy. This strategy indicates that Albania's trade policy objectives are guided by WTO principles thereby guaranteeing the absence of quantitative restrictions on imports and exports (except in cases of environmental protection or assistance to fragile industries, cultural heritage, forestry and arms and ammunitions), export subsidies, any kind of tax on exports, and export bans.

Albania's relationship with the EU remains governed by the 2009 Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA). Albania obtained the status of EU candidate country in June 2014. In addition to the institutional structure of the SAA, joint working groups to prepare the accession process were established in September 2014. The accession negotiation monitors the approximation process in numerous trade-related areas notably: (...) environment (...)

The investment regime has been revamped in 2015 by a new law on strategic investment, which foresees new and reinforced fiscal, administrative, and procedural incentives for both national and foreign investors. This law defines as strategic the following sectors: (...) electronic communications and urban waste (...)

(...) Import licensing is used mainly for (...) protection of the environment, and compliance with obligations under international conventions. (...)

Electricity production in Albania is essentially of hydro-electric origin. (...)

A 'Business and Investment Development Strategy 2014-2020' was approved by the Decree of the Council of Ministers No. 635, dated 1 October 2014. This document assigns two main strategic objectives, notably productivity growth and competitiveness, and describes the means necessary to achieve those goals, in particular (...) a better utilization of natural, human and financial resources. (...)