Relations between Germany and Albania are close and characterised by a spirit of partnership. Germany is supporting Albania as it carries out reforms aimed at strengthening the rule of law, democracy and human rights.

In collaboration with GIZ and KfW, Germany is Albania’s largest bilateral donor in the sphere of development cooperation; since 1988, it has provided more than 1.2 billion euro of funding for financial and technical cooperation. The focus is on stabilisation and on promoting an environmentally friendly and socially acceptable transformation, as well as on improving living conditions and enhancing people’s prospects of building a life without migrating – through the promotion of climate action and renewable energies, sanitation and waste-management infrastructure, vocational education and training, private-sector development and ecologically sustainable tourism.

Germany is Albania’s fifth largest trading partner. The volume of trade in 2023 was worth 755 million euro, with German exports representing 80% of this amount. The German Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Albania has 91 mostly German and Albanian members. German companies are operating in, for example, the trade and logistics branches.

The cultural agreement between Germany and Albania entered into force in March 2019. The Goethe-Zentrum Tirana offers German courses and organises numerous cultural events, in addition to those offered by the German Embassy. German is taught as a foreign language at seven schools participating in the Schools: Partners for the Future initiative (PASCH). The Central Agency for Schools Abroad (ZfA) seconds German teachers to schools in Tirana on a regular basis. Currently, there are 25 higher education partnerships with German partner universities. In 2022, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) provided funding for more than 200 students and academics from Albania. Furthermore, there is a DAAD lecturer in the German department at the University of Tirana.

Information about German development cooperation with Albania can be found on the website of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.