Albania and 6 billion euros from Brussels

On November 8, the European Commission (the government of the European Union) announced the new Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, which includes 6 billion euros over four years, 2 billion euros in grants (gift money) and 4 billion euros in soft loans, to our six countries: Montenegro, Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Kosovo and Albania. The Growth Plan is based on four main directions. They aim at (i) increasing economic integration with the common market of the European Union, provided that the Western Balkans aligns with the rules of this market; (ii) promoting economic integration within the Western Balkans, through the Common Regional Market, based on EU rules and standards, which have the potential to increase our economies by 10 percent in four years; (iii) acceleration of basic reforms, including comprehensive ones (called cluster), for improving sustainable economic growth and attracting foreign investments in the region, as well as (iv) increasing EU financial assistance, to support reforms, through a Reform and Growth Mechanism for the Western Balkans for the period 2024-2027. Based on this Plan, each partner country of the Western Balkans will be invited to prepare its own Reform Agenda (plan), based on EU recommendations, including targeted reforms and funds from the annual Enlargement Package and Reform Programmes. Economically, the reasoning behind this growth plan of the European Union is the fact that the level of per capita income and economic growth of our six countries is far behind the growth rate and the level of income of the 28 countries of the European Union. So the European Commission has allocated a bag of money (6 billion euros) to encourage our countries to carry out the reforms required of them. In return, they will receive money in the form of aid to their budgets and in the form of development projects. There is no doubt that this support from Brussels will serve as a great impetus for the continuation of reforms from our countries. But where are we, in front of these 6 billion euros of the European Union? How are we working to get our share, which is at least one sixth (according to the population), i.e. 1 billion euros? Can we get more? With the high-level meeting in Tirana for the Berlin Process, held on October 16, we are very well positioned. We are a quiet country for the European Union and at the moment, we look top of the class in the Western Balkan countries, just as we are top of the eliminator group for the finals of the 2024 European Football Championship in Germany. We need to focus the work with the funds of the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, with a more pronounced business-oriented approach. This, in order to further facilitate the way of doing business and to improve the business climate here. For the sake of truth, as the Progress Report 2023 for Albania has also accepted, this climate has improved, but there is a need for much deeper improvements, so that Albanian enterprises can really find concrete opportunities to enter the common market of the European Union. This must be achieved before full integration can take place, which may take years. Albania, our country, must show itself capable of making the best use of the instruments that will be offered by the new Brussels Growth Plan. We need to strengthen the absorptive capacity of regionally important projects. We, especially the Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy, are working well with the prepared projects and others that we have to propose, within the Berlin Process and its main plan, which is called the Connectivity Agenda. By September 2023, in total value, Albania represented about 13 percent of the Agenda projects (from 7 percent at the end of 2019 and 11 percent at the end of 2020), improving its position, due to the approval of two projects new ones at the Sofia summit, for the rehabilitation of the HPP in Fierza, worth 43 million euros and for the By-Pass of Tirana, worth 151 million euros. Albania also has the widest distribution of investments by sector, including transport, energy and the digital sector. The Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy has received approval for the preparation of the very ambitious project, part of the pan-European Blue Corridor, which is the Vorë-Hani i Hoti Railway, with an investment value of around 400 million euros. Also, the European Commission and the authorities of the Berlin Process have approved in principle the project for the other Durrës-Rrogozhinë railway, part of the Eighth Corridor, for the railway connection with North Macedonia. We are working at the right pace and we are in the best conditions to exceed our "core" of 6 billion euros that the European Union provides for four years (2024-2027) to support economic growth in our six countries of the Western Balkans. Albania represented about 13 percent of the Agenda projects (from 7 percent at the end of 2019 and 11 percent at the end of 2020), improving its position, due to the approval of two new projects at the Sofia summit, for the rehabilitation of the HPP in Fierza, worth 43 million euros and for the By-Pass of Tirana, worth 151 million euros. Albania also has the widest distribution of investments by sector, including transport, energy and the digital sector. The Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy has received approval for the preparation of the very ambitious project, part of the pan-European Blue Corridor, which is the Vorë-Hani i Hoti Railway, with an investment value of around 400 million euros. Also, the European Commission and the authorities of the Berlin Process have approved in principle the project for the other Durrës-Rrogozhinë railway, part of the Eighth Corridor, for the railway connection with North Macedonia. We are working at the right pace and we are in the best conditions to exceed our "core" of 6 billion euros that the European Union provides for four years (2024-2027) to support economic growth in our six countries of the Western Balkans. Albania represented about 13 percent of the Agenda projects (from 7 percent at the end of 2019 and 11 percent at the end of 2020), improving its position, due to the approval of two new projects at the Sofia summit, for the rehabilitation of the HPP in Fierza, worth 43 million euros and for the By-Pass of Tirana, worth 151 million euros. Albania also has the widest distribution of investments by sector, including transport, energy and the digital sector. The Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy has received approval for the preparation of the very ambitious project, part of the pan-European Blue Corridor, which is the Vorë-Hani i Hoti Railway, with an investment value of around 400 million euros. Also, the European Commission and the authorities of the Berlin Process have approved in principle the project for the other Durrës-Rrogozhinë railway, part of the Eighth Corridor, for the railway connection with North Macedonia. We are working at the right pace and we are in the best conditions to exceed our "core" of 6 billion euros that the European Union provides for four years (2024-2027) to support economic growth in our six countries of the Western Balkans.