The new United States tariffs of 10% for Albania are expected to affect 1.9% of the country's total exports.

Last year, Albanian exports to the US reached a value of Lek 7 billion, almost double that of 2019. Tariffing them at 10% is estimated at an additional cost of at least Euro 7 million.

According to official data from INSTAT, about 41% of Albanian exports to the US are dominated by "Iron and Steel" which represents several chromium products and by-products, while the second largest export group is medicinal plants and oilseeds with 23% of the total.

Furthermore, 3% of Albanian exports to the US are represented by oils and resins that serve the cosmetics industry, beds and furniture, fish products, etc.

Tariffs with the US are expected to have a negative effect on medicinal plants, 16.4 million euros in direct exports.

Although far away, the United States of America is an important trading partner of our country. Last year, the US ranked fifth in terms of the value of imports and 13th in terms of exports.

US imports reached Lek 20.5 billion in 2024, increasing by 19 percent from 2023. In the last four years, imports from the US in value have increased by 104%.

Last year, the US was Albania's main supplier of goods, along with Italy, China, Greece and Germany. Imports from the US were even higher in value than those from Kosovo.

American imports accounted for 2% of total imports by 2024.

The American market is also important for Albanian exports, as Albania directly and indirectly (through Germany) exports medicinal plants to American markets.

Last year, Albania's exports to the US reached Lek 7 billion, with an annual decrease of 27%, as a result of the weakness that our exports suffered in general from the weakening of the euro.

Imports from the US are dominated using transportation, fuels, and aircraft and their parts.

The tariff policy being pursued by the new US administration could affect Albania indirectly rather than directly through traded goods. Economic experts believe that the trade war could bring a new wave of price hikes in global markets to which Albania could be fully exposed.

Albania's trade with the US accounted for 2.1% of its foreign trade volume last year, remaining unchanged over the last decade.

Since the US has become the most important export market for the EU over the last decade, the negative impact of high US tariffs on European goods and services will be significant for Eastern European countries, the Vienna Institute for Economic Studies analyzes.

While direct trade flows between our region and the US are limited, lower demand for European industrial products will negatively impact Central and Eastern Europe.