Albania: EIB Global supports sustainable development in Northern Albania

• An EIB Global technical assistance grant will enable the preparation of a capital investment plan and mobilise private investments in the Shkodër and Lezhë counties.
• The projects will improve the area’s connectivity, environmental quality and tourism offer.
• The aim is to tap into the growth potential of Northern Albania and the Adriatic coastline with a focus on sustainable economic development.

EIB Global, the arm of the Bank focused on operations outside the European Union, will provide a €2.75 million technical assistance grant to the Albanian Development Fund (ADF) for the preparation of a priority investment programme. The programme will cover the area close to the border with Montenegro along Lake Shkodër and the Buna River at the main gateway to the Albanian Alps. After the completion of an integrated tourism and urban development strategy — which is also part of the EIB’s advisory support — this technical assistance will focus on delivering environmental, technical and social assessments and on bringing the selected projects closer to the implementation phase.

The projects will enable the construction of environmental, local transport, urban and tourism infrastructure in the counties of Shkodër and Lezhë, resulting in socioeconomic growth and improving the area’s connectivity, environmental quality and tourism offer.

EIB Vice-President Lilyana Pavlova, responsible for the Western Balkans, said: “We are glad to be able to support the redevelopment of such an important area for the sustainable socioeconomic development of Albania. This targeted investment programme to be designed under the EIB Global grant will provide insight into specific infrastructural needs that will help increase resilience to climate change, connectivity and environmental protection capabilities, to meet the highest standards and reap the full economic potential of Northern Albania.”  

Dritan Agolli, Executive Director at the Albanian Development Fund, said: “For more than a decade, the Albanian Government has been aiming to reform the approach to regional and local development towards a more efficient system that harmonizes and integrates sectoral and local interventions in the territory. Through this initiative, we intend to build a comprehensive programme of investments that will respond to territorial needs and potentials, improving the attractiveness of this area, boost economic generation potential, invest in people and services, as well as improve public services. The Albanian Development Fund sees in EIB an important partner in achieving its mission, in support to Albanian Government goals and objectives."

The areas that will be covered by the EIB Global’s technical assistance are the Adriatic coastline between Shëngjin and Velipojë, the shores of Lake Shkodër, the Buna River and the Koplik gateway to the Albanian Alps, as well the municipalities of Shkodër, Lezhë and Malësi e Madhe.