EC funds 2.65 million euro to Albania for cross-border cooperation

TIRANA, April 16 – The European Commission funded Wednesday four projects to Albania for the implementation of assistance under the Cross Border Cooperation Component of the European Union Instrument for Pre accession Assistance (IPA).
As a potential candidate country, Albania benefits from IPA funding for cross border activities on both sides of its borders with other Western Balkans countries (Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Montenegro) as well as with the neighboring EU Member States. The Financing Agreements for 2007 included 1) The cross-border programme Albania – Montenegro with a total allocation of 850,000 Euros for Albanian regions of Shkodra and Kukes. 2) The cross-border programme Albania – former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia with a total allocation of 1.1 million Euros for Albanian regions of Kor衬 Elbasan and Dibra. 3) The cross border programme South East Europe Transnational with a total allocation of 200,000 Euros for all regions in the country; and 4) The Border Development Programme of Kukes with a total allocation of 500,000 Euros.
The EC also said that two other financing agreements concerning cross-border cooperation for the year 2007 with Greece and the countries bordering the Adriatic Sea would be signed shortly, for an additional amount of 4 million Euros. IPA cross-border cooperation programmes help the local populations on either side of a border address issues of common interest, on the basis of a single set of rules. The cross border cooperation signed today will therefore benefit from balanced programming undertaken jointly by decision making structures in Albania and the neighboring countries. (Tirana Times Staff)