RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE WT/ACC/SPEC/ALB/2
22May1997
ORGANIZATION(97-2129)
Original: English
ACCESSION OFALBANIA
Communication from Albania
TheMinistry ofIndustry, Transport andTrade oftheRepublic ofAlbania hassubmitted the
following offerofspecific commitments inservices. Therepresentatives ofAlbania intend tocarry
outbilateral negotiations inGeneva inJunewithinterested WTO members. Members wishing toenter
intomarket access negotiations withAlbania areinvited toinform therepresentatives ofAlbanian and
theWTO Secretariat assoonaspossible.
________________WT/ACC/SPEC/ALB/2
Page2ALBANIA: SCHEDULE OFSPECIFIC COMMITMENTS INSERVICES
Modes ofsupply: 1)Cross-border supply 2)Consumption abroad 3)Commercial presence 4)Presence ofnatural persons
Sector andsubsector Limitations onmarket access Limitations onnational
treatmentAdditional commitments
I.HORIZONTAL COMMITMENTS
ALL SECTORS INCLUDED INTHIS SCHEDULE
Entry andTemporary
StayofForeign Natural
Persons4)Unbound, except formeasures
concerning theentry andtemporary
stayonnatural persons inthefollowing
categories: business visitors, intra-
corporate transferees (executives,
managers, specialists) andprofessionals
under aservice contract.
RealEstate 3)Only Albanian citizens may
ownagricultural landinthe
territory ofAlbania.
Non-Albanian citizens may
lease agricultural landforupto
99years.
Privatization 3)Unbound forparticipation
inthedistribution of
privatization bonds, forwhich
Albanian nationality is
required.
Controls onCurrent
Transactions andCapital
MovementsResidents andnon-residents mayfreely
receive payments from andmake
payments abroad forcurrent
transactions asdefined inAppendix Ito
thisSchedule.
Residents andnon-residents shallobtain
theprior written approval oftheBank
ofAlbania forcapital transfers, except
forthefollowing capital transfers which
maybemade freely:WT/ACC/SPEC/ALB/2
Page3Modes ofsupply: 1)Cross-border supply 2)Consumption abroad 3)Commercial presence 4)Presence ofnatural persons
Sector andsubsector Limitations onmarket access Limitations onnational
treatmentAdditional commitments
1.inward capital transfers byresidents
andnon-residents;
2.outward capital transfers
representing previously recorded
capital inflows;
3.transfers ofproceeds ofthe
withdrawal ofnon-resident deposits;
4.transfers undertaken inaccordance
withtheLawonForeign Investment,
according towhich foreign investors
havetherighttotransfer outofthe
territory oftheRepublic ofAlbania
allassets related toaforeign
investment including:
a.returns;
b.compensation;
c.payments arising outofan
investment dispute;
d.payments made under acontract,
including accrued interest payments
made pursuant toaloanagreement;
e.proceeds from thesaleof
liquidation ofanyorallpartofan
investment; and
f.thereturn ofshareholders equity
resulting from thediminution of
capital when thecompany has
decreased itscapital inaccordance
withAlbanian legislation.WT/ACC/SPEC/ALB/2
Page4 Modes ofsupply: 1)Cross-border supply 2)Consumption abroad 3)Commercial presence 4)Presence ofnatural persons
Sector andsubsector Limitations onmarket access Limitations onnational
treatmentAdditional commitments
5.transfers oftheproceeds ofthe
liquidation ofAlbanian assets byan
emigrant ondeparture from Albania.
II.SECTOR SPECIFIC COMMITMENTS
BUSINESS SERVICES
A.Professional Services
e.Engineering Services
(CPC 8672)1)Unbound
2)Unbound
3)None
4)Unbound, except asindicated in
PartI1)Unbound
2)Unbound
3)None
4)Unbound, except as
indicated inPartI
B.Computer andRelated
Services1)None
2)Unbound
3)None
4)Unbound, except asindicated in
PartI1)None
2)Unbound
3)None
4)Unbound, except as
indicated inPartI
2.COMMUNICATION SERVICES
B.Courier Services
(CPC 7512)1)None
2)None
3)None
4)Unbound, except asindicated in
PartI1)None
2)None
3)None
4)Unbound, except as
indicated inPartI
3.CONSTRUCTION AND RELATED ENGINEERING SERVICES
1)Unbound
2)Unbound
3)None
4)Unbound, except asindicated in
PartI1)Unbound
2)Unbound
3)None
4)Unbound, except as
indicated inPartIWT/ACC/SPEC/ALB/2
Page5Modes ofsupply: 1)Cross-border supply 2)Consumption abroad 3)Commercial presence 4)Presence ofnatural persons
Sector andsubsector Limitations onmarket access Limitations onnational
treatmentAdditional commitments
6.ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES
B.Refuse Disposal
Services
(CPC 9402)1)Unbound
2)Unbound
3)None
4)Unbound, except asindicated in
PartI1)Unbound
2)Unbound
3)None
4)Unbound, except as
indicated inPartI
9.TOURISM AND TRAVEL RELATED SERVICES
A.Hotels andOther
Lodging Services
(CPC Ex.641)1)Unbound
2)None
3)None
4)Unbound, except asindicated in
PartI1)Unbound
2)None
3)None
4)Unbound, except as
indicated inPartI
B.Travel Agency and
Tour Operator Services
(CPC 7471)1)Unbound
2)None
3)None
4)Unbound, except asindicated in
PartI1)Unbound
2)None
3)None
4)Unbound, except as
indicated inPartI
C.Tourist Guide
Services
(CPC 7472)1)Unbound
2)None
3)None
4)Unbound, except asindicated in
PartI1)Unbound
2)None
3)None
4)Unbound, except as
indicated inPartI
7.FINANCIAL SERVICES
A.Insurance Services From thetimeofdemonopolization ofthe
insurance sector expected totakeplace by
theendof1997, foreign providers of
insurance andreinsurance services willbe
allowed toestablish acommercial
presence andconduct business inAlbania
inconformity withtheLawon"Insurance
andReinsurance Activities"WT/ACC/SPEC/ALB/2
Page6 Modes ofsupply: 1)Cross-border supply 2)Consumption abroad 3)Commercial presence 4)Presence ofnatural persons
Sector andsubsector Limitations onmarket access Limitations onnational
treatmentAdditional commitments
(7March 1996). Foreign access tothe
Albanian insurance andreinsurance
markets willbelimited toproviders
which satisfy thenormal prudential
requirements forobtaining alicense, and
which satisfy thefollowing additional
requirements particularly applicable to
foreign providers:
1.theforeign provider must establish a
commercial presence intheform ofa
branch. Thebranch maybe
100percentforeign owned;
2.iftheforeign provider seeks to
establish acommercial presence
through participation inanAlbanian
company, suchparticipation maynot
exceed 40percentofthecapital ofthe
Albanian company, or40percentof
thevoting rights inthegeneral
assembly.
3.theforeign provider must be
authorized toconduct insurance
activities initshome country, and
must haveconducted suchactivities for
atleast10years.
4.theforeign provider must locate within
theterritory orAlbanian assets with
thevalue atleastequal tohalfofthe
required minimum guarantee fund, one
fourth ofwhich must bedeposited.WT/ACC/SPEC/ALB/2
Page7Modes ofsupply: 1)Cross-border supply 2)Consumption abroad 3)Commercial presence 4)Presence ofnatural persons
Sector andsubsector Limitations onmarket access Limitations onnational
treatmentAdditional commitments
Foreign providers which haveestablished
acommercial presence inconformity with
theabove requirements willbeallowed to
conduct business onanational treatment
basis.
B.Banking andOther
Financial Services
(Excluding Insurance)
a.Acceptance ofdeposits
andother repayable funds
from thepublic
(CPC 81115-9)1)Unbound
2)Unbound
3)None
4)Unbound, except asindicated in
PartI1)Unbound
2)Unbound
3)None
4)Unbound, except as
indicated inPartI
b.Lending ofalltypes
including, interalia,
consumer credit,
mortgage credit factoring
andfinancing of
commercial transactions
(CPC 8113)
c.Financial leasing
d.Allpayment and
money transmission
services
(CPC 81339)
e.Guarantees and
commitmentsWT/ACC/SPEC/ALB/2
Page8 Modes ofsupply: 1)Cross-border supply 2)Consumption abroad 3)Commercial presence 4)Presence ofnatural persons
Sector andsubsector Limitations onmarket access Limitations onnational
treatmentAdditional commitments
f.Trading forown
account orforaccount of
customers, whether foran
exchange, inanover-the-
counter market, or
otherwise thefollowing:
i.money market
instruments
ii.foreign exchange
iii.derivative products
including, butnot
limited to,futures and
options
iv.exchange rateand
interest rate
instruments, including
products suchas
swaps, forward rate
agreements etc.
v.transferable
securities
g.participation inissues
ofallkinds ofsecurities
h.money broking
i.assetmanagement
k.advisory andother
auxiliary financial
servicesWT/ACC/SPEC/ALB/2
Page9Modes ofsupply: 1)Cross-border supply 2)Consumption abroad 3)Commercial presence 4)Presence ofnatural persons
Sector andsubsector Limitations onmarket access Limitations onnational
treatmentAdditional commitments
l.provision andtransfer
offinancial information,
andfinancial data
processing andrelated
software byproviders of
other financial services
11.TRANSPORT SERVICES
C.AirTransport
Services
e.support services for
airtransport
(specifically, marketing
andcomputer
reservation system
services.1)Unbound
2)Unbound
3)None
4)Unbound, except asindicated in
PartI1)Unbound
2)Unbound
3)None
4)Unbound, except as
indicated inPartI