The Albanian government's strategies are documents that should not be taken too seriously. The latest case is the transport strategy, in which the government says it will invest 7.9 billion euros by 2030.
In fact, this amount alone is enough to assess how the country's development strategies are designed. To reach the figure of 8 billion euros in the three years remaining until 2030, the government will have to invest an average of 2.6 billion euros per year in transport. In the best year, all public budget investments have never been above 1.3 billion euros.
According to the strategy, if for years roads have been the main "arteries" of the Albanian economy, the coming decade aims to bring a strong turnaround, less dependence on road transport and more investment in railways.
The objective is to increase rail transport by 20% by 2030 and double it by 2050, as well as a 15% increase in maritime transport within this decade. By increasing investments in railways, the aim is to move freight transport away from dependence on the road network and towards rail.
There are 9 railway projects, some in progress and most still on paper, worth 2.4 billion euros. The most expensive is the Durrës-Pristina line at 750 million euros, followed by the rehabilitation of the Rrogozhinë-Pogradec/Rrajcë - Border with North Macedonia railway at 541 million euros and then Vorë-Hani i Hotit at a full 375.7 million euros.
The sources of funding to transform transport in the country are not only from the state budget, but are based on the practice of concessions, public-private partnerships, loans from international financial institutions (EIB, EBRD, World Bank) and EU support.
"The strategy promotes public-private partnerships and concessions, especially in road construction and major infrastructure projects, as complementary instruments for mobilizing private investment and improving efficiency in project implementation," the document states.
The transport strategy drafted by the Ministry of Infrastructure states that by 2030, 7.9 billion euros of investments will be made for a profound transformation of the way people and goods move.
A major focus will be on road maintenance, which will also have a special fund that will be financed by tolls on toll roads, and the goal set in the strategy is that by 2030, approximately 20% of the country's roads will be toll-free for pedestrians.
Editorial
