Several attempts have been made by the Government to increase the participation of the SME stakeholders in a Government-business consultative process. The METE sees the Business Advisory Council (BAC), which was established in 2000, as its main source of regular dialogue on business-related legislation and procedures. The BAC is chaired by the Minister of METE, who also acknowledges that this mechanism is in need of further reform (regular meetings, secretariat, balanced representation, clear agenda, etc.) in order to play an effective role. The general consensus is that consultations are taking place more often and at an earlier stage of legislation/policy development, thus allowing the voice of the business sector to be heard. For example, in May 2004 the Ministries of Finance and Economy established a Working Group to work on the 2005 fiscal package (OECD and EBRD, 2005).

Contact Person:
Fjodor Nako, Technical Secretary
E-mail: fjodor.nako@mete.gov.al

Further contact details are provided below.