On Friday 5 November, the European Commission disbursed €90 million in aid as the second tranche of the macrofinancial assistance programme granted to Albania in the spring of 2020 to combat the health and socio-economic consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Albania has met the conditions agreed with the EU for releasing this aid tranche, the Commission said in a statement. These included measures to strengthen public finances, build financial sector resilience, improve governance, fight corruption and enhance social protection.
“This payment shows the EU’s solidarity with the Albanian people, but also Albania’s commitment to the important reform agenda agreed with the European Commission”, said Paolo Gentiloni, European Commissioner for the Economy.
The first tranche of €90 million was paid in March (see EUROPE 12690/2).
With this disbursement to Albania, the Commission has finalised eight out of the ten macrofinancial assistance programmes granted to the EU’s neighbouring countries (see EUROPE 12472/7). (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)