The Rus Market, a well-known trading hub in Shkodër for agricultural products, which once suffered from poor sanitary conditions that endangered consumers’ health, has now been transformed into a modern, accessible facility that offers services in line with the highest standards.

Completed in record time, the market, a joint initiative between the Municipality of Shkodër and the Agency for Rural and Agricultural Development (AZHBR), was ready by December, efficiently accommodating the increased flow of shoppers during the year-end period.

Prime Minister Edi Rama returned to the market just a few months after his visit in March of the previous year, during which he promised residents and traders a new infrastructure—a promise that has now become a reality.

“This has been entirely rebuilt from scratch. There are approximately 115 completely new vending spaces. We finished it in record time, managing to complete it before the New Year to ensure it could be used as a market. It was built in just 5 months. It’s completed and in excellent condition. We’ve applied for the second phase, as we discussed. We secured a €300,000 project from the Ministry. We’re finalizing this phase, and soon we will begin work on the slaughterhouse section for meat and fish. We will also make any necessary small adjustments,” said Shkodër’s Mayor, Beci, who also outlined other ongoing projects in the market area.

“In addition to the market and the residential buildings, there are several other improvements in this area. Apart from the facades and roofs, we are working on two additional projects: the playground and the dormitories. This is the playground project, and we’ve already started work on the dormitory with the Albanian Development Fund.

As part of the mobility plan, we’ve designed three key parking areas for the city: one here in Rus, which will be underground, another in Perash, and the third below Zdral. Essentially, the entire area has been transformed, with renovated facades, roofs, and infrastructure. The entire stretch, from the entrance to the exit of Shkodër, has been completely revamped,” explained Mayor Beci.