"The Republic of Albania is situated in the south-east of Europe, covering a territory of 28 748 square km and with a population of 3 170 048. The transition from a centralised economy to one based on the free market has proven challenging, as successive governments have tried to deal with high unemployment, widespread corruption, a decaying physical infrastructure and widespread social problems, especially in rural areas. Albania's economy continues to grow, but the country is still one of the poorest in Europe, hampered by a large informal economy and an inadequate energy and transport infrastructure. Furthermore, the most recent EU progress report indicates that there has been little progress in the field of social policies. Poverty is 66 % higher in rural areas than in Tiranë and 50 % higher in rural areas than in other major urban centres. Albania has been a potential candidate for accession to the European Union since January 2003, and it formally applied for EU membership on 28 April 2009. "

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