Tirana, May 25-26, 2026 – Within the framework of the European Union instrument TAIEX, the Competition Authority organized a two-day seminar on the topic “Legislative Approximation, Preparation for Membership, Impact Assessment, and Competition Policy,” with the participation of experts from the Italian Competition Authority (AGCM).
This seminar was held to support the process of aligning Albanian legislation with the European Union acquis in Chapter 8 “Competition Policy,” addressing issues related to the implementation of antitrust rules, merger control, challenges in transposing the EU acquis, the functioning of the European Competition Network (ECN), the leniency program, settlement procedures, as well as the challenges of digital markets and the new European DMA framework.
Experts from the Italian Competition Authority (AGCM), Mr. Gianluca Sepe, Mr. Enrico Labella, and Ms. Gabriele Maria Polito, shared institutional experience and best practices in the application of competition law within the framework of European integration.
During the two days of the seminar, among other topics, the following were discussed:
– the challenges of transposing the ECN+ Directive;
– cooperation between national competition authorities within ECN;
– cartel and settlement procedures;
– promoting pro-competitive reforms;
– implementation of competition rules in digital markets;
– the new digital framework of the European Union (DMA);
– post-accession challenges in merger control and adjusting thresholds for small markets.
This activity represents an important step in strengthening the institutional capacities of the Competition Authority and in preparing for the European integration process, through the exchange of experiences and best practices with the counterpart authorities of the European Union member states
