The Deputy Governor of the Bank of Albania, Natasha Ahmetaj, participated in the high-level meeting “Annual Economic and Financial Dialogue between the EU and regional partners”, held on 5 May 2026 in Brussels.

This ministerial dialogue took place within the framework of the meeting of the Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN) and was organized by the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The meeting was attended by senior representatives of the European Union countries and regional partners, as well as representatives of the European Commission and the European Central Bank.

In her speech, Deputy Governor Ahmetaj shared her assessments of the current economic and financial situation, as well as the consequences of today's geopolitical landscape for small and open economies, including Albania. She stressed that geopolitical developments, especially protracted conflicts, constitute a significant source of risk to macroeconomic stability, mainly through their impact on energy prices and inflationary expectations.

Ahmetaj underlined that the Albanian economy presents stable macroeconomic indicators, highlighting controlled inflation and a sound banking system as key factors in coping with external shocks. She stressed the importance of pursuing a flexible policy as well as the need for close international coordination to minimize uncertainties and increase the effectiveness of economic policies.