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Energy Secretariat: Albania still without 90-day oil reserves according to EU requirements
2026-10-09 08:40:00 / EKONOMI&SOCIALE
Albania has not yet fulfilled its obligation to create emergency oil reserves, while the government is preparing to move towards a state-run system. The development comes at a time of high geopolitical tensions, when supply disruptions and rising prices are testing the energy security of European countries.
The Vienna Energy Community Secretariat, in the preliminary document of the report on oil reserves for 2026, published these days, highlights that Albania continues to rely on the current system, where private companies are obliged to hold physical reserves for 30 days and contractual reserves for another 60 days.
“30 days of mandatory physical reserves, plus 60 days of 'contractual' reserves, held by industry (2026),” the Secretariat document states.
The report also notes that "None of the eight markets included has reached the 90-day requirement of the Oil Stocks Directive", confirming that none of the countries analyzed have yet reached the level of reserves required by European legislation.
For Albania, the Secretariat defines the next step as the one related to the new draft law. “The draft law for a system run by a state agency arrived in Parliament in 2026.”
New draft
In September, the government approved the draft law that provides for the creation of the Oil Security Reserve Authority, a public operator that will be responsible for the purchase, storage, administration, and use of crude oil reserves and its by-products.
The proposed model differs from the current system, where the responsibility for maintaining reserves lies with the private sector. The draft law also envisages the involvement of economic operators in the deposit of reserves and the establishment of a fee to finance their creation and maintenance.
The value of the tariff will be determined by a decision of the Council of Ministers. The Hydrocarbons Association has warned that the additional costs of creating and administering the reserve may be reflected in the final prices of fuels, if they are not fully covered by the state, and something like this has also been acknowledged by the government in the documents accompanying the draft already in the Assembly.
The issue of reserves has taken on particular importance during 2026, when conflicts in the Middle East and disruptions in international transport routes have caused severe shocks to oil supplies.
The secretariat describes the situation as "what is shaping up to be the worst oil supply shock in more than half a century", noting that supplies have continued, "but at a high cost and with limited reserves".
However, while regional markets have continued to be supplied, commercial reserves remain limited and can quickly deplete during disruptions.
The report also highlights Albania's role in regional supply: "Albania provided about 50–60% of Kosovo's fuel during the supply disruption in 2026."
The Secretariat underlines that the creation of emergency reserves must be accompanied by clear procedures for their use in crisis situations, in accordance with the European security of supply framework./Monitor
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