Switzerland announces new cooperation program in Albania for 2026–2028
Today, the new Swiss-Albanian cooperation program was presented, with a budget of 58 million Swiss francs. Its goals are to strengthen democratic governance, economic development and infrastructure services in Albania. This new bilateral program for the years 2026–2028 marks over 30 years of continuous partnership between our two countries.
On behalf of the Albanian government, Elisa Spiropali, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, emphasized: “In this new chapter, Albania’s priorities are clear. We will continue to keep our political dialogue active, to further strengthen the Bern-Tirana cooperation axis. Albanian-Swiss cooperation can be further strengthened in areas of common interest, such as innovation, cybersecurity, tourism, vocational education and other sectors with high potential. I am convinced that this will be our common direction.”
Didier Chassot, Director of the Europe and Middle East Division at the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), highlighted the depth of the cooperation and its move towards consolidation: “Switzerland remains committed to standing by Albania and supporting an inclusive and sustainable democracy. Our bilateral ties – technical dialogue, institutional twinning, people-to-people ties and economic cooperation – will continue beyond 2028, anchored in Albania’s progress and our shared European perspective.”
Pietro Lazzeri, Director of Economic Cooperation and Development at the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), underlined Switzerland’s continued commitment to Albania’s economic future: “Our objective is clear: a competitive, innovation-driven economy that creates quality jobs. Over the next three years and beyond, we will support macroeconomic stability, strengthen financial sector supervision, improve the business climate and export capacity, and align with EU standards.” The new programme builds on the achievements of the 2022–2025 cooperation and covers three priority areas: inclusive governance, economic development and employment, and urban development and climate change. A special feature of the new programme will be institutional partnerships and twinning agreements between Albanian and Swiss institutions, including the federal offices of statistics, metrology, intellectual property and MeteoSwiss.
Ruth Huber, Swiss Ambassador to Albania, welcomed the participants and delivered the closing remarks, highlighting the rapid changes taking place in the country and the focus on creating more connections. "In these coming years we will exploit something unique: direct institutional partnerships between Albanian authorities and Swiss federal centers of competence - in water science, energy, statistics, metrology, intellectual property and more."
Switzerland is one of Albania's leading bilateral development partners, with a history of success spanning over three decades and a contribution of over 500 million Swiss francs in areas including democratic governance, local government reform, vocational education, macroeconomic support and health. The cooperation is implemented jointly by two Swiss government agencies, SDC and SECO.
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