Neighbors "cool" with Albanian goods/ Kosovo "defends" the balance, significant decline with the other four countries
The beginning of 2026 has brought a complex picture of Albania's trade exchanges with the region, where a clear contrast is observed between growth with Kosovo and contraction with other partners. During January and February, Albanian exports to Kosovo reached a value of around 6.2 billion lek, marking an annual increase of 16.8%. This trend positions Kosovo as the main engine of our sales with our neighbors, showing a stability that is not being reflected in other markets near us. While the volume of our goods to Kosovo increases, imports from it have experienced a more moderate increase of 9.1%, keeping the trade balance strongly in favor of Albania.
On the other hand, data for the first two months show a noticeable "cooling" of trade relations with Serbia, Montenegro and North Macedonia. The most drastic drop in exports is observed with Serbia, with a contraction of 21% compared to the previous year, followed by Montenegro with a decrease of 18.6%. North Macedonia, a traditionally important partner, has also recorded a 7.8% drop in Albanian exports.
This downward trend across the region (with the exception of Kosovo) signals new challenges for local producers, who are facing weaker demand or stronger competition in these markets.
As for the flow of goods to Albania, imports present a diverse situation, with the strong growth with Bosnia and Herzegovina standing out. Although in absolute terms it remains a smaller partner than the others, imports from this country increased by 40.1% during January and February. On the other hand, Albania has purchased significantly fewer goods from Montenegro and Serbia, where imports fell by 26.2% and 16.1% respectively.
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