The euro’s fall cannot be treated merely as good news for the lek. For an exporter who earns in euros but pays expenses in lek, it may mean shrinking profits. For a family that depends on money from emigrants, it means fewer lek from the same amount sent. Importers may benefit, but the gain for citizens also depends on whether prices fall in the market. It is well known that most Albanians receive euros from their families in the EU, but the strength of the euro, which is falling every day, has also reduced the purchasing power of families, because food and everything else is priced in lek, so this puts Albanian families at risk.
The risk of money laundering in construction and real estate has been documented by Albanian institutions themselves. The national risk assessment ranks these sectors among the most exposed. Therefore, asking about the origin of the millions financing a tower or a resort is an institutional obligation and a matter of public interest. Yet euros still arrive in sacks through criminal channels and are laundered in Albania.
An honest business calculates its loans, interest, wages, taxes and profit. An activity used for money laundering can even accept trade losses, because its aim is to give a seemingly legal origin to criminal capital. In this way competition is distorted: the entrepreneur who works according to the rules faces a competitor financed outside them.
The consequences can go beyond a bankrupt business. Illegal capital can artificially increase demand for property, push prices up and make housing even more out of reach for families who live on wages.
An economy that does not protect the honest entrepreneur risks handing the market over to those who have money to hide. And the whole of society pays that bill.