During a visit to the city of Elbasan, the leader of the Mundësia Party, Agron Shehaj, accompanied by candidate Sara Zekaj, met with local entrepreneurs to present a bold economic proposal: the adoption of the euro as Albania’s official currency.
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| During a visit to the city of Elbasan, the leader of the Mundësia Party, Agron Shehaj speaking about the adoption of Euro in Albania |
"In Elbasan, we visited yet another citizen who is trying to succeed through hard work. This business produces paper bags for both Albanian and foreign clients. It’s a story of success, yet also a clear reflection of the challenges that small and large entrepreneurs face. They want to grow, but they simply don’t have the right conditions. The state is not standing by them—it’s only standing in their way," said Shehaj in a video message.
A key focus of his remarks was the volatility of the exchange rate, which poses a serious challenge to exporting companies. According to Shehaj, the instability of the euro’s value in the Albanian market is a direct consequence of illicit money circulating in the economy.
“One of the main issues faced by exporting businesses is the fluctuation of the exchange rate,” Shehaj explained. “As entrepreneurs, we cannot build a stable business plan or forecast future revenues, because we don’t know how much the euro will be worth. The value of the euro has dropped, affected by the influx of dirty money from corruption and crime. This has made life difficult for many exporters.”
To address this, Shehaj proposed adopting the euro as Albania’s official currency—following the example of Kosovo and Montenegro. He argued that this would create a more stable economic environment, particularly for businesses engaged in international trade.
“Our proposal to adopt the euro in Albania, as Kosovo and Montenegro have done, would be a major relief for exporters. They would no longer have to worry about currency fluctuations. They’d produce and sell in the same currency as their production costs, creating a much more predictable and secure business environment.”
Shehaj’s proposal is likely to spark debate in economic and political circles, but it aligns with broader calls for reforms that support genuine entrepreneurship and protect the economy from the distortive influence of illicit funds.
As Albania continues to grapple with economic instability and the effects of corruption, the conversation around adopting the euro may gain traction—especially among the country’s growing class of small and medium-sized exporters.