Enabling factors for agrifood cooperation in EU accession countries: a SWOT-AHP analysis in Albania and Montenegro

Agrifood SMEs in EU candidate countries face structural constraints that limit their competitiveness and capacity to adapt to European standards. Cooperation among firms may represent a strategic tool to overcome these limitations, although enabling conditions differ across national contexts. This study identifies and prioritises the factors influencing agrifood cooperation in Albania and Montenegro through a participatory SWOT-AHP approach. The analysis combines desk research, focus groups with SMEs and stakeholders, and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) questionnaires administered to 28 Albanian and 13 Montenegrin respondents. Results show that Opportunities are the highest-ranked SWOT category in both countries, indicating that cooperation is primarily perceived as a proactive instrument for growth rather than a defensive response to structural constraints. However, priorities differ substantially: Albanian firms emphasise public financial support and programmes providing concrete business services, whereas Montenegrin firms prioritise market expansion and a favourable regulatory framework for cooperation. These findings highlight the need for context-specific support strategies within EU pre-accession policies, tailored to different institutional capacities, value-chain structures, and market-access conditions.