THE European Commission (EC) has approved €120.5m and €226.5m respectively for railway projects in Albania and Montenegro, as part of a €680m investment package in rail and renewable energy in the Western Balkans.
In Albania, the funding will be used to reconstruct the 33.5km line between Durrës and Rrogozhinë, to be completed in 2028. The work will include electrification as well as signalling and telecommunication systems.
The standard-gauge line is part of the Pan-European Corridor VIII, which links southern Italy to the Black Sea. The line was built in the late 1940s, but little or no maintenance has been undertaken during the last 25 years forcing trains to travel at low speeds.
In Montenegro, there will be repairs and upgrades to the railway between Bar and Golubovci. This line is part of the railway connecting the Montenegrin coast with Vrbnica in central Serbia, which is considered Montenegro’s most important line. The work, which is expected to be completed in 2029, is part of the plans to extend the TEN-T Core Network to the Western Balkans.
Both projects are included in the sixth financial package under the European Union's Economic and Investment Plan for the Western Balkans, which will comprise a total of investment of €16.6bn, and is ultimately aimed at paving the way for admitting the countries to join the EU.
“While we continue to work together on accession, we need to take decisive actions to bring the Western Balkans closer to our economy,” the EC president, Ms Ursula von der Leyen, explained when the investments were announced. “Together, we are laying the foundations for sustainable growth and closer integration, demonstrating once again our strong commitment to the region's prosperity and its path towards EU membership.”
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