With a population of 3.2 million, Albania is a country in the southeastern Europe between Greece in the south and Montenegro and Kosovo to the north. The nation declared its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1912. It then was conquered by Italy in 1939, and became a communist state in 1944. In the early 1990s, Albania ended 46 years of communist rule and established a multiparty democracy. The transition has proven challenging as successive governments have tried to cope with high unemployment, widespread corruption, organized crime networks, and political opponents. In recognition of its progress with political and economic reforms, the EU signed the Stabilization and Association agreement with Albania in June 2006 after three years of talks, the first step for EU accession. Albania joined NATO in April 2009. Although Albania's economy continues to grow, the country is still one of the poorest in Europe, hampered by a large informal economy and an inadequate energy and transportation infrastructure.