Current situation

The Republic of Albania (Republika e Shqipërisë) is a young democracy working hard to overcome almost half a decade of communist rule and international isolation, and striving to become an EU member state (having received the status of candidate country in June 2014).

Albania has made progress in its democratic development since first holding multi-party elections in 1991. Throughout the transition period Albania has been faced with a number of complex challenges in order to establish stable institutions guaranteeing democracy, the rule of law and human rights as well as to operate a functioning market economy and to cope with competition and market forces. The most visible challenge for Albania is meeting the requirements of EU accession. While economic growth over the past several years has led to poverty reduction, disparities persist among regions of the country.