The city of Vlora is the starting point of several investments of strategic importance for the whole country. Prime Minister Edi Rama was today at the opening of the new regional office of the ADF in Vlora, which will serve as a point of coordination with other central and local agencies, as well as donors, for the coordination and monitoring of investments in the area. The meeting was attended by the Mayor of Vlora Dritan Leli, Director of ADF Benet Beci, as well as mayors of Vlora region, both left and right wingers.

Urban projects that have been implemented during the past two years in Vlora, along with those planned to begin next year constitute an investment volume worth 132 million dollars. Investments spread across the region are quite diverse and include a wide range of projects, from interventions in basic infrastructure at the local level to the urban transformation project such as the boardwalk.

Approximately 18 infrastructure projects have been implemented so far in the region of Vlora or are nearing completion, fund by the government in the framework of the Regional Development Fund and other development projects amounting to approximately 36 million dollars. The focus of these investments has been urban recovery, road infrastructure and water supply in the coastal area of Himare and Saranda.

2016 will mark for Vlora the launch of new projects co-financed by the Albanian government and foreign donors. The project on the River Road in Vlora, which is worth approximately 64 million USD, and the project funded by the Council of Europe Bank, “Integrated development of the coastal area and surrounding mountains,” which provides for the region of Vlora an investment portfolio of around 25 million Euros.

As far as investments in the Municipality of Vlora are concerned, the first lot of these investments amounts to approximately 5.2 million Euros. The project “Urban Acupuncture of Vlore city” includes integrated interventions in an area of about 170,000 sqm, with an aim at facilitating and improving movement and giving a new breath to public spaces. The project includes interventions in key segments such as the road Transballkanike, the central boulevard, the road to the hospital of Vlora, and the reconstruction of the road “Dhimiter Konomi.”

In the Ionian coastline and Himara Municipality, the first lot of investments will amount to 11.7 million Euros to be allocated for restoration projects and urban recovery of the territory in the old villages of Vuno and Dhërmi; transformational interventions in the beach areas of Dhërmi and Jal, and urban recovery of the centre of Himare in the wake of intervention made to its promenade area.

Speaking at the meeting, Prime Minister Rama said that the region of Vlora is a strategically important area for economic and social development of the country, and this investment program will turn it into a success story. The Prime Minister emphasized also the importance of developing quality projects that guarantee a positive impact and longevity. Incoming projects, the prime minister said, left much to be desired. In this regard, the new office will serve to strengthen the capacity of the design and to continue the implementation of a very important development program of strategic projects for the economy, tourism and the community throughout the territory including the Ionian coast.

“It’s not that we have been lacking the money to finance this space, which is strategic for the country’s development, tourism development, economic development, social development, but the point is that we should have projects which are lacking. We have made progress with the Albanian Development Fund. There are on the one hand the projects funded by the government through ADF, and on the other hand there are the funds the Council of Europe Bank. People can’t wait to see results and the change for which they voted us, and they strongly believe in this. We have great potential in hand and the opportunity to turn it into a success story. This is the biggest funding volume, because it is a circuit with a strategic importance, but this funding volume should return to tangible actions.”

Prime Minister Rama said that the envisaged projects create a very good basis to start the impact of a real transformation. The Prime Minister demanded the maximum engagement of local government in this crucial moment of development, as it should play an important role in pursuing these projects. “The group of projects creates a good basis to start the impact of a real transformation. From the river road Vlora to the access road, which must have real European standards, to internal interventions that are supplementary to the Lungomare project, here in the centre and even in the boulevard where intervention is needed which, I repeat, doesn’t look anything like the boulevard of a tourist city, to continue down with Vuno, Dhërmi, the Jal beach.”

Mayor of Vlora Dritan Leli said these projects will provide new development opportunities. “We confirm once again a different approach, a special attention to our region, and a new perspective providing new development opportunities. Once again I am grateful for this initiative, I appreciate the special attention of the Prime Minister for the Municipality of Vlora and our region.”

After the meeting, the prime minister said in a press release that the ADF regional office is a new mechanism made available to communities and municipalities following the administrative and territorial reform, and it will be functional also in other regions. In addition to ensuring that Vlora remains a strategic priority, he stressed that despite the difficulties of the transition from a period of chaos and informality to an entirely new era, the impact of these investments will always be more sensitive.

“First of all, happy flag day from city of the flag. Secondly, we wanted to take advantage of this day also to open regional office of ADF, a new mechanism that is made available to communities and municipalities following the administrative and territorial reform. It will be functional work in other regions to strengthening the design capacities and to continue the implementation of a very important program for the development of the territory. There is a number of projects that have been initiated and a number of projects that will begin next year and which are strategic for the economy, tourism and community across this territory that includes the Ionian coast.

I remain very hopeful that once the progress of these projects is visible, even the citizens that are generally impatient, and they cannot be blamed given that they have been disappointed for over 20 years, will be able to touch the concrete reasons and the concrete works that bring us very close to one another in this territory. I once again want to assure the citizens of Vlora and citizens throughout the region that Vlora and the region remain a strategic priority, and despite the difficulties created by the transition from a period of chaos, of informal and illegal constructions, and a real territorial mess, to a completely new era, we will face hardships together, and the impact of these projects and these investments will always be the most sensitive, particularly next year because some of them will materialize and some of them will start intensively. I’m not going to list them all, there are many projects, but I want to underline that actually they are projects that have been built based on a strategic view of the economic, social and tourism future across the region.”