| SE strategy / action plan 1.2.1 S10S233S30S40S50 Criteria and evidence- S1 · Status: 0 (none)
No dedicated national SE strategy or action plan, adopted or in preparation, was found; Law 65/2016 (Art. 5(3)) only tasks the social-affairs ministry with 'drafting policies for the promotion and development of social enterprises': 'none'. · source 1 - S2 · Dedication: 33 (SE mentioned in an adopted broader strategy, without measures)
The National Social Protection Strategy 2024-2030 (DCM 152 of 13 Mar 2024) has a background section 1.3.1 'Ndërmarrjet sociale' (law, the unused 2019-2021 fund, 9 NPOs with status, the 2023-2025 fund); no SE objective or measure was found in the parts read (the action plan was not readable): 'SE mentioned in an adopted broader strategy, without measures'. · source 1 - S3 · Operational content: 0 (no adopted instrument)
No SE strategy or action plan is scored in S1: 'no adopted instrument'. · source 1 - S4 · Monitoring: 0 (none)
No SE strategy to monitor: 'none'. · source 1 - S5 · Participation of SE organisations: 0 (no evidence)
No SE strategy, hence 'no evidence' of SE participation. · source 1
| 6.7 |
| Institutional structure & dialogue 1.2.2 I167I233I30I40 Criteria and evidence- I1 · Lead responsibility: 67 (a ministry named responsible in a law, decree, adopted strategy or its statutory functions, within a broader unit)
Law 65/2016 makes the 'ministry responsible for social affairs' responsible for status, register, supervision and SE policy (Arts 5(3), 13, 15, 22); the 2026 subsidy decision was proposed by the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (renamed in 2025) and is implemented with the State Social Service. No dedicated SE unit was found: 'a ministry named as responsible in a law ... within a broader unit'. · source 1 - I2 · Breadth of mandate: 33 (one type only (e.g. a cooperatives regulator))
The mandate covers only the SE status of Law 65/2016, open to non-profit organisations alone (Art. 12(1)) with at least 30% employees from disadvantaged groups (Art. 9(2)), i.e. a single WISE-type status: 'one type only'. Arguably 100 if any legal SE status is read as 'SE broadly'. · source 1 - I3 · Consultative body with SE organisations: 0 (none, or only in a draft)
Law 65/2016 creates no council, committee or other body ('refers to existing bodies and a national register'); no SE consultative body was found: 'none'. · source 1 - I4 · Inter-ministerial coordination: 0 (none)
Law 65/2016 creates no council or coordination body, and the subsidy decision charges only 'ministri përgjegjës për çështjet sociale dhe Shërbimi Social Shtetëror' with implementation; no inter-ministerial mechanism on SE was found: 'none'. · source 1
| 25.0 |
| Social clauses in public procurement 2.3.2 P1100P267P30P433 Criteria and evidence- P1 · Legal basis: 100 (reservation or preference explicitly for SE/SSE entities (e.g. Directive 2014/24 Art. 77 transposed, a national SSE quota))
Law 162/2020 on public procurement has Art. 15 reserved contracts (operators integrating disabled or vulnerable persons, at least 30% such workers) and Art. 103 reserved contracts for health, social and cultural services for organisations that reinvest profits, maximum three years (the Directive Art. 77 model); the UNDP guide notes Art. 103 'lehtëson përfshirjen ... të ndërmarrjeve sociale'. Law 65/2016 Art. 27 also entitles SEs to take part in such procedures: 'reservation ... explicitly for SE/SSE entities (e.g. Directive 2014/24 Art. 77 transposed)'. · source 1 - P2 · National policy push: 67 (national socially responsible procurement guidance or plan)
DCM 304 of 22 May 2024 approves the National Public Procurement Strategy 2024-2030 and action plan 2024-2027, whose policy goal 2 'Prokurimi i qëndrueshëm mjedisor, social dhe inovativ' has specific objective 2.1 'Nxitja e prokurimit të gjelbër dhe social', measures on the legal framework for environmental and social criteria and on training and awareness on social criteria; its indicator on procedures with environmental or social criteria has baseline 'N/A' and target 'trend rritës' (no number): 'national socially responsible procurement guidance or plan' (no quantified target, so not 100). Judgement: a national procurement strategy with a dedicated social-procurement objective is read as a plan. · source 1 - P3 · Evidence of use: 0 (none)
The National Public Procurement Strategy (DCM 304/2024) gives the baseline of its indicator on procedures using environmental or social criteria as 'N/A'; no national figures or reported cases of reserved contracts (Law 162/2020 Arts 15, 103) were found: 'none'. · source 1 - P4 · Capacity support: 33 (donor- or project-based training only)
The guide on procuring social services (June 2023) was prepared by a UNDP consultant under the SDC-funded 'Leave No One Behind' programme to assist Tirana Municipality's social protection staff, covering reserved contracts and SEs: 'donor- or project-based training only'. · source 1
| 50.0 |
| Official SE definition 3.1 D1100D2100 Criteria and evidence- D1 · Where defined: 100 (in law)
Law 65/2016 'On Social Enterprises in the Republic of Albania' defines the social enterprise and its status conditions: 'in law'. · source 1 - D2 · Content (social aim; participatory governance; limits on profit distribution): 100 (all three)
Social aim: 'Social enterprise aims to promote social objectives' (Art. 9(1)); profit limits: distribution of 'any kind of profit ... in favour of the members' prohibited (Art. 17(3)); participation: principle of a 'collective dimension' (Art. 4) and stakeholders may take part in 'strategic planning decisions' (Art. 19(2)): 'all three'. The governance element is weak (participation permitted, not required). · source 1
| 100.0 |
Legal recognition of SEs 3.2.1 · level 2 of 3Law No. 65/2016 'On social enterprises in the Republic of Albania' (status for non-profit organisations) · sources 1 2 3L1100L250L350L4100L5100 Criteria and evidence- L1 · Adoption stage: 100 (in force)
- L2 · Scope: 50 (one type or several types only)
- L3 · Implementing rules: 50 (some adopted)
Bylaw package adopted 2017-2020: DCM No. 716 of 1.12.2017 (control of SE activity); DCM No. 16 of 12.1.2018 (list of activities); DCM No. 56 of 31.1.2018 (disadvantaged groups); DCM No. 789 of 26.12.2018 (fund and subsidy forms); Order No. 636 of 3.9.2018 (model regulation); Instruction No. 677 of 27.9.2018 (reporting); Instruction of 4.1.2019 (register); Instruction No. 376 of 18.6.2020 (state-aid criteria and monitoring). The act on termination of SE activity and removal of status was still missing in Nov 2022 (PartnersAlbania). Subsidy rules renewed by DCM No. 174 of 24.3.2023 (2023-2025, citing Art. 26(2) of the law). - L4 · Status or register: 100 (operating, entities recognised)
SE status granted by the minister responsible for social affairs; register kept as an internal table, not a public electronic register. 13 NPOs applied and 9 obtained status by April 2022 (PartnersAlbania 2022; same figure in EASPD 2022). No later count published; the status-linked subsidy scheme was renewed for 2023-2025 (DCM 174/2023) and 2026-2028 (DCM 231 of 1.4.2026), which indicates the status remains in use. - L5 · Bodies foreseen by the law: 100 (set up)
Application evaluation committee within the responsible ministry (referred to in the bylaw package; DCM 174/2023 requires the minister to set up a committee to evaluate subsidy applications). Whether it met in 2024-2025 not verified. The Social Enterprise Fund (DCM 789/2018) made no award in its 2019-2021 call.
| 80.0 |
| SE support ecosystem 4.3.6 E133E267E333E467E567 Criteria and evidence- E1 · National programme: 33 (project-based only (donor, EU or NGO projects without government lead))
No government SE support programme was found; support comes from donor and NGO projects (Partners Albania schemes such as EMBRACE, TWIST, EU for Innovation challenge fund 2023-2026, Invest for Change; OSFA's EU/OSF-funded SE sub-grants 2024): 'project-based only (donor, EU or NGO projects without government lead)'. · source 1 - E2 · Territorial coverage: 67 (several regions)
Partners Albania's 2024 report locates SE support in Tirana and Durrës (TWIST social enterprise on a confiscated asset) and a challenge fund reaching start-ups 'all over Albania', with no network of SE support centres: 'several regions'. · source 1 - E3 · Public funding of support: 33 (mainly donor or EU funded)
The support found is funded by the EU, SDC, OSF and other donors: 'mainly donor or EU funded'. · source 1 - E4 · Continuity: 67 (two to four years)
The main donor scheme, the EU/Sida Challenge Fund 'EU for Innovation' (phase II 2022-2026), ran from 2022 to the reference date; the RYCO RISE incubator marked its fifth anniversary in Nov 2024 but its cycles ran to June 2025 only. Uninterrupted operation of one programme for five years to 31 Dec 2025 is not documented: 'two to four years'. · source 1 - E5 · Range of services: 67 (two)
Partners Albania's 2024 report documents incubation (Lab of Tomorrow glass-recycling incubation, three-month programme) and finance (challenge-fund funding, four sub-granting schemes), plus training and mentoring; legal or registration advice, impact measurement and market access are not documented: 'two'. · source 1
| 53.3 |
| EU funds mobilised for SE 5.1.1 F133F267F333F433 Criteria and evidence- F1 · Programming: 33 (SE mentioned)
SE appears in EU support only through small CSO projects (EU-co-funded OSFA sub-grants for SE development, 2024; UNDP's EU4LMI call naming SEs among eligible applicants); no evidence was found that SE is an explicit priority of IPA III programming for Albania, and the ruling puts such programmes at the lower levels: 'SE mentioned'. · source 1 · low confidence - F2 · Calls and instruments: 67 (at least one call dedicated to SE in 2021–2025)
OSFA, with KMOP and Tirana Municipality and funded by OSF and the European Commission (DG INTPA), issued a call for 'sub-grants to support social enterprise development' (EUR 30,000, deadline 13 May 2024): 'at least one call dedicated to SE in the period'. · source 1 - F3 · Channel: 33 (civil-society grants only)
EU money reaches SEs through CSO grants (OSFA, Partners Albania, UNDP); the only public partner found is a municipality, and no national-authority role was found: 'via civil-society grants only'. · source 1 - F4 · Evidence of take-up: 33 (anecdotal)
The EU-funded TWIST project reports social enterprises set up on confiscated assets, e.g. the 'Art and Activism' Center in Durrës, 'a social enterprise set up on a confiscated asset'; no count of SE beneficiaries of EU funds overall: 'anecdotal'. · source 1
| 41.7 |
| Dedicated national funding 5.2.2 N167N233N367N4100 Criteria and evidence- N1 · Dedicated line: 67 (dedicated line for one type (e.g. WISE subsidies, a cooperatives fund))
DCM 174 of 24 Mar 2023 sets a fund of 'ALL 240 000 000 ... për periudhën 2023–2025' in the budget programme 'Përkujdesja sociale' for social enterprises recognised by the minister for social affairs; the support pays the minimum wage and the compulsory social and health insurance of employees from disadvantaged groups (at least 50% from the exit programme of the economic-aid scheme). The line is titled for SE but is a work-integration wage subsidy for the single WISE-type status of Law 65/2016: 'dedicated line for one type (e.g. WISE subsidies ...)'. · source 1 - N2 · Instrument types: 33 (one type)
DCM 174/2023 Art. 2 provides two forms of support, both non-repayable: payment of the minimum wage for new jobs and payment of compulsory social and health insurance; no loans, guarantees or equity: 'one type' (grants). · source 1 - N3 · Continuity: 67 (two to four years)
The fund is budgeted for 2023-2025 (DCM 174/2023) and the State Social Service reports spending in 2024 and 2025; the predecessor fund (DCM 789/2018) covered 2019-2021 and nothing was budgeted in 2022, so the consecutive run to 2025 is three years: 'two to four years'. · source 1 - N4 · Execution: 100 (amounts or beneficiary numbers published for 2024 or 2025)
The State Social Service annual report 2025 (Finance and Statistics Directorate) states 'Realizimi fondeve të shpenzuara për Ndermarrjet Sociale': ALL 3,676,903 in 2024 and ALL 13,583,848 in 2025 (71% execution in 2025): 'amounts or numbers of beneficiaries published for 2024 or 2025'. · source 1
| 66.7 |
