The Albanian Center for Economic Research (ACER), established in 1992, is the oldest independent economic research institution in Albania. The Center is a non-governmental, independent organization based in Tirana and (re)registered under the Albanian law “On non-profit organizations”, which undertakes studies, observations, analyzes important for policy-makers and the business community at the national and the regional level.

The center has never benefited and receives no core funding from the government or other sources. Much of the funding comes from research projects and services, awarded or commissioned by a variety of sources, including development organizations of the United Nations system, government, all fully identifiable in their published materials.

The terms of their grants prohibit any involvement by funding institutions in determining or influencing content. Major donors include the European Commission, major US organizations working to support democracy and strengthen the private sector, government departments and agencies.

The center undertakes projects oriented towards research policies and development assistance, aiming to provide objective economic analyzes and promote constructive solutions for the challenges of transition, economic reforms, integration of the country in the EU and sustainable development in order to improve the well-being of Albanian citizens.
ACER has extensive experience in working with the international donor community and its activity agenda aims to contribute to three main comprehensive and interrelated goals such as: economic growth, social progress and environmental sustainability.

For more than two decades, the Center has been a partner of SELDI – a well-known anti-corruption network in Southeast Europe. It also has close ties with universities in Albania and other Western Balkan countries.

During the period since its creation, ACER has accumulated a solid experience in advising policy-makers and interested institutions on a variety of issues related to growth and development, the labor market, macro-economic and fiscal policies, migration, regional economic cooperation, and trade policies.

In addition to occasional reports written for donor institutions or development organizations of the United Nations system operating in Albania, ACER offers a product of the university and research world that is directly useful to policy-makers and decision-makers, such as the quarterly publication entitled: “Albanian Social-Economic Magazine”, which offers detailed writings and analyzes on various economic, social, legal issues,through  an economic perspectives of Albania, supplemented with experiences of other countries.

The findings and recommendations of the center’s projects are published in local and regional media, thus providing a solid experience in popularizing the results of its research and advising public decision-makers and the general public.

Through a series of events such as conferences, seminars, workshops, ACER provides a forum for the discussion of current economic and social problems of the country.

The Advisory Board formulates and promotes the research policy of the center; discusses and support ACER Executive Director and experts’ crew issues; recommends to the funders candidates for the election of the Director of the center. The Advisory Board discusses and gives their opinions in the decision of enacting the Statute and general acts issued by the Director. The founders passes decisions, upon agreement of a majority of all members, at their meetings.

Current members of the ACER Advisory Board are:

The director organizes and manages the work and activities of the center, serves as a representative of ACER, carries out all legal actions on behalf of it, carries out the decisions of the Advisory Board, and is responsible for the legality of work.

The Director enacts all the general acts of the ACER based on its Statute and is responsible for their implementation. In addition, the Director informs to the Advisory Board on annual and periodic actives undertaken by ACER, and make decisions on certain matters of ACER operational activities i.e, on the commencement and termination of research staff employment.

The current Executive Director of ACER is:

who was confirmed by the founders of the center on 7 June 2005 for an unlimited time mandate.