Ten stone fruit orchards and/or varietal collections were surveyed during autumn 2000 in 5 districts of the Central and South-Eastern Albania (Kavajë, Elbasan, Librazhd, Pogradec and Korçë), with particular attention to apricot, Japanese plum and myrobalan trees. Typical symptoms of European Stone fruit Yellows (ESFY) were encountered in several orchards. Six samples were collected and assayed by single-step PCR using primers f0l/r0l specificforthe 'AP' phytoplasma group, followed by RFLP using the restriction enzymes Sspl e BsaAl. PCR products were amplified from five of six samples. Three apricots, one myrobalan and one plum were shown to be infected with ESFY. Infection from ESFY was detected in the following locations: Lumalas (KO) for Japanese plum, Vërdovë (PG) for apricot and myrobalan and Fushë Mbret (EL) for apricot. Infected apricot and myrobalan plum were old trees and located inside ex-varietal collections whereas the Japanese plum was a young tree of three-four years old of imported origin.