EIB interested in financing other road projects

TIRANA, June 4 – The European Investment Bank has expressed its readiness and commitment to finance other important infrastructural projects in Albania. Speaking in a meeting with Prime Minister Sali Berisha after signing a 50 million euro loan to rehabilitate secondary roads, EIB vice President Dario Scannapieco said the bank would participate in other projects.
Scannapieco said the European Investment Bank was interested in funding important projects in Albania such as the Tirana-Elbasan highway, the Fier by-pass, and provide support to small and medium-sized enterprises and energy projects.
The Tirana-Elbasan highway is the first project which will be implemented in the frame of the “Instrument of Financing Western Balkans” programme, said the EIB vice president as quoted by the Prime Minister’s press office.
The Tirana-Elbasan highway will be the first segment of southern road axis and an important hub of the Corridor 8 project with Italy, Macedonia and Bulgaria.
The highway, expected to cut the distance to Elbasan to 31 kilometres from 48 currently, will have four lanes and two tunnels, 2.3 and 2.1 km long each.
It is considered the biggest infrastructural project government intends to build in this four-year term after the Durres-Kukes-Morine highway linking Albania to Kosovo it built in the previous mandate.