Albania Citizenship by Merit Program

Apparently there is an Albania citizenship by merit program offered by a well known and trustworthy agency in the field. The program requires a donation of about 175k euros in order to obtain citizenship. In practice it seems similar to a citizenship by investment program that is simply presented as a merit option. On top of the donation, the fees alone are around 150k euros (Agency, government, due diligence etc)

Albania appears to have a strong future and is working toward joining the European Union, so the idea sounds appealing. However, I have read that merit programs can be risky and unpredictable, which means there is a real possibility of being rejected. My biggest concern is paying around 150k euros in fees at the beginning and then being denied, which would mean losing all of that money.

I would like to hear people’s opinions. Is it worth pursuing? Has anyone applied for a merit program and been rejected?

A bit of background about me: I currently hold a weak passport, and considering the uncertain future of many citizenship by investment countries, I would prefer to obtain a more reliable long term passport. Given Albania’s relationship with the European Union, it seems like a potentially strong investment for the future.