The President of Albania, Bujar Nishani, returned the law for Chambers
of Commerce and Industry, considering it anticonstitutional.
The law aims to merge the commerce and industry chambers into a single one, and forces businesses to be part of it by paying a fee which varies from business to business. Otherwise, these businesses will be denied services at the national Center of Business.
President Nishani argued that the obligation goes against Article 46 of the Constitution, which states that participation in collective organizations must be voluntary and not obligatory.
The obligatory membership fee also makes it a hidden tax for businesses, and the quotas are not clear, not even the way how the revenues from these chambers will be administered.
The law has been opposed by local and foreign business representatives, especially from the US Chamber of Commerce, who say that the government supervision will weaken the businesses’ ability to oppose government initiatives.
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