PRESS RELEASE
Ms. Elisabeta Gjoni, First Deputy Governor of the Bank of Albania participated in the 20th Central & Eastern European Forum organised by Euromoney

On 20-21 January 2015, Euromoney hosted the 20th Central and Eastern European Forum in Vienna, Austria. This annual Forum gathers prominent international personalities in the fields of politics and economy.

The Forum consisted in panels on specific topics, with special emphasis placed on the panel of ministers of finance/economy and central bankers.

In the panel of ministers of finance/economy, moderated by Mr. Richard Ensor, Chairman, the Euromoney Institutional Investor PLC, the key speaker was Mr. Philip Bennett, First Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, EBRD. This panel addressed a number of key areas related to fiscal policy, economic growth, recent developments in Europe and their impact on the CEE economies. Participants in the panel included ministers of finance and economy of Hungary, Georgia, Lithuania, Serbia, Slovakia and Albania.

In the panel of central banks on 'Monetary Policy: The Challenges Facing the Central Bank Governor', moderated by Mr. Richard Ensor, Chairman, the Euromoney Institutional Investor PLC, the key speaker was Mr.  Ewald Nowotny, Governor of the Oesterreichische Nationalbank and Member of the Governing Council, European Central Bank.

The panel addressed a number of key central bank issues such as: what a banking union means for CEE central banks; monetary policy and financial stability; exchange rates; inflation and interest rates; and the effects of Fed and ECB policies on CEE countries. The panel consisted of governors, deputy governors and board members of the central banks of Georgia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Albania and Turkey. The Bank of Albania was represented by Ms. Elisabeta Gjoni, First Deputy Governor. 

In her contribution to this panel,  Ms. Gjoni highlighted the main challenges facing the Bank of Albania such as: return of inflation within the target band of the Bank of Albania; boosting lending; and solution of the issue of non-performing loans. Year 2015 will continue to require the continuous commitment and attention of the Bank of Albania for addressing these challenges, in order to maintain and guarantee the financial stability in Albania.

During the Forum, Ms. Gjoni met with representatives of various commercial banks who showed their interest to invest in Albania.