Some 60 kilometres of the highway named after late Kosovo President Ibrahim Rugova have already opened to traffic while the remaining 40 kilometres are expected to open by next December
TIRANA, May 1 – The Prishtine-Merdar highway linking Kosovo to Albania will be fully open to traffic by next December, completing the Highway of Nation linking the two neighbouring countries in the shortest possible way, officials from Kosovo’s Infrastructure Ministry tell Radio Free Europe in the Albanian service. Considered the biggest infrastructural project of the Kosovo government, the Prishtina-Vermice highway linking the Kosovo capital to the Albanian border started being constructed in 2010. Some 60 kilometres of the highway named after late Kosovo President Ibrahim Rugova have already opened to traffic while the remaining 40 kilometres are expected to open by next December.
“The five highway sections which are now open to traffic were carried out in record time, we expect the pace to continue even in the three remaining sections so that by the end of the year it can be made available to citizens based on the commitment by government and the construction company,” says Lah Nitaj, a counsellor of Kosovo’s Infrastructure Ministry.
The same as in Albania, the highway’s cost which Kosovo government says will be at Euro 800 million is one of the most controversial issues. Economy experts question the benefits of the huge infrastructural investments, saying that they are unable to reduce key issues in Kosovo such as high unemployment and poverty rates. After completing the highway to Albania, the Kosovo government plans to start construction a new highway linking it to Macedonia.
“It would have been better if highways were built in parallel to increasing local production capacities so that highways serve domestic production and increasing exports,” says Kosovo economy expert Lumir Abdixhiku.
The Vermice-Prishtine-Merdare road, a continuation of the Durres-Kukes highway linking Albania to Kosovo, has currently had 60 kilometres open to traffic in a few days, Kosovo government officials have confirmed.
The highway, which is being built by Bechtel-Enka, the same US-Turkish consortium which built the Rreshen-Kalimash highway in Albania. The Kosovo part of the road which has been nicknamed the “Highway of the Nation” started in April 2010, and was set to be completed in September 2013. It is 117 km long and will cost around 800 million Euros.
The new highway is considered very useful for Kosovo’s economy and business. It will connect to the existing highway in Albania, providing a modern and fast connection of Kosovo with the Sea Port of Durres. This highway also connects the north of Kosovo with Serbia and Nis.
The motorway starts from Morine at the Albanian border then going through Prizren, Suhareke, Duhel, Malisheve, Arlatte, Komorane, Sllatina and reaching Prishtina. It is curving around Prishtina and ending in Besi, a small town on the north of Prishtina.
Rising trade exchanges
Albania’s trade exchanges with Kosovo have considerably increased in the past few years after the construction of the Highway of Nation linking the two countries in the shortest possible way despite ongoing trade barriers and disputes over reference prices, but yet remain below their potential. Data from Albania’s state Institute of Statistics, INSTAT, show Albania’s exports to neighbouring Kosovo climbed to 17.4 billion lek (Euro 122 million) in 2012, up 18.5 percent compared to 2011. Compared to 2009 when Albania finished its part of the Durres-Kukes highway, exports to Kosovo have more than doubled. Metals and minerals account for around 70 percent of Albania’s exports to neighbouring Kosovo which ranked the second most important destination of Albanian exports in 2011 and the third top destination in 2012 after Italy and Spain.
Last March, the ban of two Albanian milk brands in Kosovo because of slightly higher levels of potentially carcinogenic aflatoxin sparked a new trade dispute between Albania and neighboring Kosovo.
Back in 2012, both Albania and Kosovo were involved in trade disputes over reference prices on cement and potato exports. In August 2012, the Kosovo government decided to lift the 35 percent reference prices on imported cement after fierce reaction by both the business community in Albania and Kosovo during its 50 days in force.
Earlier in 2012, Albania introduced reference prices on Kosovo potatoes which Kosovo considered as unacceptable under the CEFTA agreement and warned of imposing reciprocity measures. However, in April 2012 reference prices for Kosovo potatoes were restored to the previous levels.
