"Gateway to the Alps", the government signs the 50 million euro loan - Karakaçi: Investments in roads, transport and water supply. Total project 100 million euros
The government has approved a 50 million euro loan agreement with the European Investment Bank, within the framework of the “Gateway to the Alps” project, which aims at the sustainable development of the north of the country and the promotion of tourism. Minister of Infrastructure and Energy, Enea Karakaçi, provided details of the project, which has a total value of 100 million euros, after a meeting of the Council of Ministers.
"So we have a value of 100 million euros that goes to what is called the 'Gateway of the Alps', the Shkodra region, in relation to infrastructure projects of a special nature. The program and agreement have several components: The first component has to do with the rehabilitation of urban squares, the reconstruction of boulevards and multifunctional centers, giving better spaces to the citizens of the entire region. The other component has to do with infrastructure investments in the axes that connect the coast (the coastal promenade with Velipoja), Lake Shkodra, the Buna River and the part of the Greater Highlands and the part of the Alps. The other very important component has to do with investments in the sewerage and water supply network, as well as the part related to urban transport but also all those tourist elements for the management of urban pollution", - said Karakaçi.
A few days ago, the European Investment Bank also announced the signing of the agreement, specifying that the program aims to improve access to services, increase the region's attractiveness for tourism and investment, and support local economic development in an area that is still considered underdeveloped and highly dependent on agriculture.
"Through this agreement, an integrated corridor between the Alps and the Adriatic coast is created for the first time, thus creating an opportunity to have a full tourist seasonality, from winter to summer, and staying closer to citizens and improving the economic development of the entire Shkodra region," said Karakaçi.
The financing will be channeled through the Albanian Development Fund, which will act as a financial intermediary and implementing structure for concrete projects.
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