TIRANA, Sept. 1 – Albania is to receive EU funding to finish up key sections of the north-south highway corridor and to create a better high voltage link with neighboring Macedonia, according to a document released at the end of the Vienna Western Balkans Summit.
The EU investments are set to include road work in the Tirana, Lezha and Tepelena regions and an energy grid connection between Albania and Macedonia.
Albania received less funding than some of the other countries of the region, but the money is part of a total €200 million the European Union has promised to the countries of the region to complete several transport and energy projects aiming to improve the connectivity between the Western Balkan countries ahead of their hoped EU memberships.
The road work in Albania will take place as part what has been dubbed “the blue corridor” – a highway linking Croatia to Greece via Montenegro and Albania.
The project is a portion of three core European network corridors to be extended in the Western Balkans as well as priority projects along sections of these corridors.
“The core network corridors, once completed, will provide quality transport services for citizens and businesses, with seamless integration within the region as well as with the EU,” the document notes. “The priority projects will help remove bottlenecks, promote interoperability, and build missing cross-border connections.”
