Minister of Finance, Petrit Malaj, stated on Monday that the IPARD III program is expected to open during 2026, after the fulfillment of the measures requested by the European Commission.

During the presentation of the draft budget for 2026 in the Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, Malaj emphasized that the IPARD programs have been successful in the previous phases, despite some irregularities found in the second phase.

“IPARD is a successful scheme that has helped the development of Albanian agriculture. Due to some irregularities identified in the second phase, the European Commission, through DG AGRI, requested the fulfillment of some measures by the Albanian government. These measures are in the process of fulfillment, and I am very optimistic that IPARD III will open during 2026,” stated Minister Malaj.

The Minister also stressed that, despite delays in IPARD funding, the Albanian government has put in place alternative mechanisms to support farmers and agricultural businesses.

“A sovereign guarantee of Euro 30 million has been planned for the agricultural sector, which enables farmers and small businesses to benefit from state-guaranteed loans of up to 70% of the value, with an interest rate of only 2%. In parallel, a credit line of Euro 250 million has been created, with concessional interest rates, made available by the Bank of Albania, to promote the development of the agro-processing sector, which will be one of the government’s priorities in the coming years,” Malaj said.

He added that the goal is to add more value to Albanian agricultural products and support the full production and processing chain.