Italy ratifies the strategic cooperation agreement with Albania across thirteen sectors

The President of the Republic Mattarella has promulgated Law No. 182 of October 1, 2026, which authorizes the ratification and gives full and complete effect to the Agreement between the Government of the Italian Republic and the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Albania regarding strategic cooperation. The measure is published in the Official Gazette of the Italian Republic, General Series No. 237 of October 12, 2026, with the official reference 26G00197, and enters into force the day following its publication.

The Agreement was signed in Rome on November 13, 2025, and commits the two Parties to thirteen priority sectors. The law is countersigned by the President of the Council Meloni, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Tajani, and the Minister of Justice Nordio. The parliamentary process concluded with final approval in the Senate on September 16, 2026 (act no. 2002), following the green light from the Chamber on August 3, 2026 (act no. 2788, presented on February 6, 2026).

The thirteen sectors of cooperation

Article 1 of the Agreement lists the priority areas:

• energy, including renewables, electrification, efficiency, and oil and gas storage;
• environmental protection and integrated waste management in the Adriatic-Ionian basin;
• security and defense industry, including the production of military ships;
• civil protection and emergency response;
• migration cooperation and combating irregular migration;
• justice and internal affairs, with mutual judicial assistance;
• physical and digital infrastructure, including railways, ports, and cybersecurity;
• healthcare systems and technological progress;
• agribusiness and sustainable food chains;
• sustainable and diversified tourism;
• innovation, research, and economic competitiveness;
• education, schooling, and mutual recognition of qualifications;
• diaspora involvement and cultural exchange.

Migration, defense, and healthcare

On the migration front, the Parties commit to strengthening Albania’s maritime patrolling capabilities and implementing the Protocol for strengthening cooperation on migration signed in Rome on November 6, 2023, indicated as a replicable model for other EU and non-EU countries. The text refers to the Mattei Plan for Africa and the EU Global Gateway Strategy and cites the entry into force of the European Pact on Migration and Asylum in June 2026.

In the defense sector, cooperation includes investments and procurement, development of joint capabilities, joint research, and the co-production of systems, equipment, weaponry, and ammunition. In healthcare, the goal is to improve the quality, accessibility, and efficiency of Albanian services, through telemedicine, artificial intelligence, digitalization of medical records, and the introduction of private care within public facilities based on the Italian model.

Governance, duration, and costs

Article 5 establishes a Joint Cooperation Committee, composed of high-level officials appointed by the respective Governments, which shall meet at least once a year, and a potential Joint Technical Secretariat with technical and logistical support functions. Article 7 sets the duration at five years, with automatic renewal for further five-year periods unless notice of termination is given at least six months in advance; entry into force shall take effect upon receipt of the last of the two diplomatic notifications. The texts are drawn up in Albanian, Italian, and English, with English prevailing in case of interpretative divergence.

On the financial level, Article 3 of the law provides for an invariance clause: administrations shall provide for the necessary human, instrumental, and financial resources available under current legislation, without new or increased burdens on public finances. Article 6 of the Agreement establishes that each Party shall bear the implementation costs according to its respective national legislation.

A consolidating bilateral framework

The Agreement builds upon a long series of understandings referred to in the preamble: from the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation between Italy and Albania of October 13, 1995, to the Joint Declaration of Strategic Cooperation of February 12, 2010, from the Agreement for the mutual protection of classified information signed in Tirana on December 9, 2014, to the Protocol on combating terrorism and human trafficking of November 3, 2017.

For Italian readers, the ratification opens a structured channel of cooperation with a country candidate for accession to the European Union, with implications for energy, infrastructure, healthcare, and the management of migratory flows, without declared additional burdens for the State budget.

Source: Official Gazette of the Italian Republic, General Series no. 237 of October 12, 2026 — Law of October 1, 2026, no. 182 (26G00197).