Speech of Prime Minister Edi Rama in the public hearing for the presentation of the project for Vlora River road:

Hello to everyone!

This is actually a special hearing, if we consider how sensitive what we have undertaken is, the Vlora River road, a road that does not simply affect a number of areas and villages, but is also an important spiritual and historic road for the area. This is also the biggest new project of the Albanian government, which is thoroughly funded. As you know, in the beginning we had to face a huge mountain of debts to road construction companies that were contracted by the former Albanian government in an abusive way because the money was lacking.

In addition to the huge debts accumulated in this regard, and which brought a very dramatic situation in 2013, with companies that could not finance the continuation of the work, because banks would not lend money to the companies that had submitted to banks as a guarantee the contract they had with the government, we found the rest of the problem, which is the continuation of these abandoned roads. Actually, throughout this period we have financed the construction of 207 kilometres of new roads on the roads started previously without the necessary budget, and even worse, in most of cases, with projects that had absolutely no standards.

What is being made here today, is a new standard that we have set. A standard to require the maximum for the project, not just by implementing all the dispositions of law, but in order to ensure since the beginning of the works that there will be no surprises, like the bitter surprise we had in the road Tirana-Elbasan. The contract for that road was stipulated blindfolded, the work began in a hurry for electoral purposes, and the project had flaws also from the geological point of view. Due to this fact, we faced some serious landslides which caused a big problem, not only for completing the work according to the standards, but also from a financial point of view, and we had to fund and seek new sources of funding to complete the project.

So in this respect, I believe that this hearing highlights the fact that we have given a special importance to this area and to this road, which is very important for the area, for the entire south-western Albania, and in addition it will not only create a connection with roads of European standards for those who live in this area, but it will also have a significant economic and social impact for the entire region of Vlora.

In fact, some of you are witnesses – as is my friend Mezan Malaj, who is one of the most passionate sponsors of the construction of this road, since he has to travel regularly and increasingly often to his village, as far as I am informed – of the very serious conditions in which the road is today.

I have had the occasion to cross this road along with Fatmir (the MP), and it is actually not a road, but a path filled with potholes and a minimal access to services for residents. There is another very significant fact about the very severe impact the abandonment of these territories by the state has had on the area, where the number of illiterate people is twice the average of the Vlora region. So, access to school is minimal. Consequently, the average of student form this area attending university is lower. This is an example of how the total abandonment of the territory by the state, a territory where children are born, families are started, where there is community life, can have consequences not only in natural resources but also in human resources, when in fact from a geographic standpoint this area is very close to the city of Vlora and the coast.

Actually, we will build from scratch because as the engineer said, there are some parts where the road is almost non-existent; it is just a trace of the old road, or in some cases there is no trace at all. Our goal it is to make a definitive connection, not just among the villages of Vlora, but also between Vlore and Himare, so that residents of Tepelenë or even tourists coming from other parts of Albania, can have a faster access to the coast. So, we are talking about an absolutely new 100-km road that will give Vlora a new area of tourism, a new tourist space, and a new space for development in view of tourism. There is no doubt that agriculture and livestock will develop as well, because the road will enable a faster and direct access of the products in the domestic market or in the international market for export, something that is happening more and more in many areas of the country, because we have given special attention to the development in the village, by stimulating the establishment of collection points or the processing industry of agricultural products and livestock.

On the other hand, this road creates the prerequisite for moving from the agriculture of survival, i.e. from production to just keep being alive the families isolated in those territories, in a rural diversified economy, where there is no discussion that there will be a normal access to health services, education and other services.

The road will be built with several separate segments, but this does not mean that the segments will be built one after another and with big intervals among them. In fact, the first segment of the road, whose value is about 40% of the entire project, will connect the bypass of Vlora with the road of the bridge of Peshkopi, Gjorm, Kuc, where the connection to the coastline of Qeparo begins. For this first part of the road, work will begin in early fall, as soon as procedures for the competition for the company or companies that will undertake the construction are carried out. The second part of the road from Gjorm to the bridge Lasko in Qeparo will start this year as well, slightly delayed in time, but however within this year. The goal is to have as soon as possible a segment that creates the new connective corridor between the inland of Vlora and the Ionian Coast. And in fact, with these two segments, we create this connective corridor. A safe, faster and easily crossable corridor, and I am convinced, because I have seen the feasibility study carried out by the ADF in cooperation with the authority road, to have access to external financing for this work, the road will be much more preferable than the road of Llogara for tourists who will want to go beyond Dhërmi.

We are working and negotiating to ensure funding for the third segment, which is the bridge Peshkopi-Selenicë that connects it with the bridge over Vjosë, this area with the highway Levan – Tepelenë, in order to open a new corridor for a much faster alternative to the coast of Himare, starting not just from Vlora, but from the highway Levan – Tepelenë.

What the feasibility study envisages is to have, due to a thorough rehabilitation and construction of this road, an average flow of people and goods of over 4% per year, across the country. If we look this with a broader view, it is an important strategic investment that impacts also our national economy, through the impact on the whole area.

Meanwhile, we will continue work with the bypass in Vlora, where again we faced what we have faced in any inherited project: no proper study, a project that has not been thought properly, and where the issues related to ensuring the expropriation and the performance of the works are faced on a daily basis. However, work is not on the right track and the pace is closer to what we want.

As we have seen and are witnessing, a good work is being done for a thorough rehabilitation of the port of Vlora, which is a very important investment that we found completely stalled, because of 1001 odd stories. What matters is that tourist cruise ships and major commercial ships will be anchored in the Port of Vlore for the first time. So, the increase in capacity is considerable. Meanwhile, we are discussing with a team of Italian engineers, who participated in the design of this phase, the possibility of a third phase to increase capacity and to turn finally the Port of Vlora in a port with great potential for anchoring the large cruise and commercial ships at the same time, in a special area where yachts can be docked as well.

On the other hand, the conclusion of the project of the south energy loop has brought us to a new situation, to finally solve the problem of power supply across the southern area of the country in 2017, because we need to build two important substations important, and some parts linked with the Energy Ring. Despite a significant improvement in the power supply this year, next year the power supply quality will be definitely better for the entire territory.

In addition, there are 136 smaller projects in the master plan for the development of the coastal area, including small streets – small compared with what we have gathered here for – urban and rural areas, including water supply and sanitation, projects of urban requalification, schools, community centres, irrigation and drainage canals in the agricultural sector and so on.

I’m not repeating the Lungomare project, which is progressing at a very good pace, but not as much as it should. However, I hope the company will reach the target we have set, to have a very different situation in this season, and finish the works related to the coast.

Meanwhile, in parallel with the work started in Himara and Qeparo for the urban requalification of two centres that are down in the coast, we will start with Vuno and Dhërmi. We will be in Vuno tomorrow, to see the project that will rehabilitate Vuno and old Dhërmi, as two pearls of the Coast who need a significant investment to become two more instruments of tourism development in the Coast area.

It is a very ambitious investment package, where we are including investments that have already started or are about to be started in the town, ranging from the continuation of the work for the Trans-Balkan highway, already not only at the entrance – we will finally have a direct connection to the highway of Vlora, which is not anymore the false pocket it was until 2 years ago, when you had to enter the town furtively, and as if you were not entering such an important Mediterranean city – with the road “Dhimitër Konomi” which will create an image, but will be also necessary for the city, especially in the peak period, with the road of the Polyclinic centre and with some other investments, I believe we are doing the right job for Vlora.

I know that despite all the work we do for Vlore, the people here will never be as happy as to be in peace and to not find flaws, because had they been people who don’t find any flaw, they would not have made history in this country. But what is up to us and to me as a MP of Vlora, is to remain faithful until the end to all the commitments we made. I know very well that the hardest part is the part of the city itself, because the city is much traumatized in terms of infrastructure. Internal roads and the situation within neighbourhoods need not to be repeated, because we would only be scratching an open wound.

A very good job is being carried out to cleanse after more than 20 years the sewerage system of the city, in order to avoid catastrophic situations such as those encountered some time ago, due to the complete blockage of all pipes. Once we are done with these main roads, next year and in the following period we will be able to deal more closely with areas within the city.

I have examined and memorized actually the commitments that I have made here in Vlora, and I believe that next year I will be able, together with friends, colleagues and our team, to stand with a clear conscience before the citizens of Vlora, not for the fact that works are finished in Vlora, but for the fact that we will show that we do and will continue to do with a great commitment and seriousness everything we promised, as befits relations with Vlora.

Many thanks!

 

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The project on the road of the Vlora River was presented today at a Public Hearing in Vlora, with the participation of Prime Minister Edi Rama.

This long-awaited road for all residents of Vlora is one of the strategic investments with significant impact on economic and social development for the whole area.

This road is currently in very bad conditions. In some parts, it is almost impossible to cross, while in certain segments it is non-existent, due to severe damages. Rebuilding from scratch this road, which connects all the villages of Vlora River, will boost the sustainable development of the area, and will allow a natural communication among the villages of the area with Himara.