No easy promises

Where do we find you this weekend?

With my two children. The setting can change, but they are the constant. My free time is devoted to them, and what I look forward to most is having enough space in the day to follow their pace: to listen properly, spend time together and enjoy a conversation without watching the clock. My working week involves a great deal of planning and responsibility, so I appreciate the simplicity of time with them. Children have a wonderful way of bringing your attention back to what is happening right in front of you. For me, that is what makes a weekend feel like a weekend.

How do you begin a Sunday?

Ideally, slowly, with my children and without having to hurry everyone towards the next obligation. The luxury of Sunday is being able to give them my full attention and let the day unfold a little.

You trained as a lawyer before running an investment agency. What has that background taught you about convincing people to invest?

My legal training taught me to listen before making a case. You need to understand what someone is really asking, what concerns sit behind their questions and which details could affect their decision. An investor may begin by asking about a procedure or a timeframe, but the underlying question is often: "Can I rely on this?"

It also taught me to be careful with assurances. In investment promotion, there is a temptation to concentrate on everything that makes a country attractive. Of course, we should explain Albania's opportunities with confidence, but we also need to be clear about the process, the responsibilities involved and any difficulties that may arise. A realistic answer builds more lasting trust than an easy promise.

What I have learnt since is that a convincing presentation is only the beginning. Investors will judge their experience over months and years. The conversation has to be followed by practical support, clear communication and follow-through. That is where credibility is earned.

AIDA has been visiting investors who are already in Albania. Why is aftercare receiving greater attention?

Attracting investment and looking after investors already here are closely connected. A company that has chosen Albania has committed capital, created relationships and gained first-hand experience of doing business here. We need to understand that experience, including the parts that are difficult.

Visits give us a more useful conversation. We can see the business in operation, hear what is holding back an expansion and understand where institutional support could make a difference. Sometimes the immediate need is help finding the right institution or getting clarity on a procedure; sometimes it is a wider issue that needs to be brought to policymakers' attention.

For me, the principle is simple: our interest in an investor should continue well beyond the initial decision to invest. Helping an established business grow can lead to further investment and employment, while its experience helps shape how other investors see Albania.

Albania is negotiating EU membership, but the investor still lands at Tirana airport with all the usual Balkan friction. What is the one thing you wish you could fix overnight?

If I could change one thing overnight, it would be the uncertainty a business can face when a process involves several institutions. An investor should be able to understand what is required, who is responsible for the next step and when to expect an answer. Even a demanding procedure is easier to plan around when those things are clear. What becomes frustrating is having to ask the same question in several places and still being unsure how to move forward.

I would like the investor's experience to feel coherent from beginning to end, with institutions coordinating effectively and taking responsibility for their part of the process. That matters just as much to an Albanian entrepreneur as it does to a foreign investor. As we move towards EU membership, businesses should be able to recognise progress in their everyday dealings with public institutions: clearer information, consistent application of rules and dependable timelines. Those are practical changes that build confidence.