Not all infrastructure projects approved at the Vienna Summit were made public at its conclusion. Referring to an official document drawn up by the EU on Western Balkans countries, it is revealed that European Union has agreed to fund a series of roads, railways, ports, airports connecting the Balkans countries with each other, Kosovo’s press agency “Kosovapress” reported.
“Connectivity agenda will bring cheaper circulation and services for the Western Balkans. This in turn will increase the possibilities and potential of the region to create new jobs. Also, all of this will lead to a future energy security and good-neighborly relations”, the report said.
Projects
The overall cost of EU-funded projects on the Western Balkans countries for the period 2014-2020, amounts to € 1 billion. There are 10 important projects, from which benefit all countries in the region. While the total cost of all these projects (with EU funding) is envisaged totalling € 7 billion, while the construction of these corridors is expected to create 200 thousand jobs
Moreover, the European Union has decided to introduce into the European transport network (considered as a network funded and maintained by the EU) three corridors:
1. Mediterranean Corridor, which starts in Croatia and ends in Igoumenitsa, Greece, passing through Montenegro and Albania. Its itinerary is: Rijeka – Zagreb – Bar – Tirana / Durres – Igoumenitsa.
The second one will be Orient/East Mediterranean Corridor. Its itinerary will be: Budapest – Belgrade – Podgorica – Bar || Belgrade – Nis – Kumanovo / Pristina – Skopje –Thessaloniki.
The third corridor is the Danube one, whose itinerary would be: Vukovar – Novi Sad – Belgrade – Drobeta-Turnu Severin / Brcko.
Among projects from which benefit Kosovo, are mentioned funding of:
Reconstruction of the road Nis-Pristina
Highway Pristina-Skopje;
Railways Kraljevo – Pristina – Gorce Petrov
Railway Macedonia-Kosovo-Serbia
This project or investment will enable coming into operation of canals, bridges and tunnels along Kosovo Polje, to the border with Macedonia, which would be replaced or renovated. EU funding is € 80 million. The road will be renovated in three phases:
Fushë Kosovo -Macedonian border
Fushë Kosovo – Mitrovica
Mitrovica – Serbia border
All these three sections will be completed in 2020.
As to energy projects, it is mentioned Albania-Macedonia project, an investment of 49 million Euros. At the conclusion of this project, to be completed by 2016, 800 thousand people and businesses in Albania will be provided with electricity.