Funds from the Interreg III programme have been earmarked for various initiatives, starting with an upgrade of road infrastructure at the two new border crosspoints.
 The programme will boost cross border co-operation and improve the free movement of people and businesses between Albania and Greece. |
The EU has started to fund projects in southern Albania, in areas near the border with Greece. A total of 4.1m euros has been earmarked, within the framework of the bloc's Interreg III programme, to benefit the southern prefectures of Gjirokastra, Korca and Vlora.
The projects -- initiated after Albanian and Greek authorities signed a memorandum of co-operation -- cover road infrastructure, protection of cultural heritage, improving education and fostering small business growth, with the involvement of authorities on both sides of the border.
The first step will be to overhaul road infrastructure at the two new border crossings with Greece -- Qafe-Bote (Saranda) and Sopik (Gjirokastra) -- with the aim of easing traffic congestion.
The EU is also helping to "implement cultural programmes in order to create a climate of peace, co-operation and mutual exchange," according to an official statement.
The Interreg III initiative, financed via the European Regional Development Fund, aims to strengthen economic and social cohesion in Europe by encouraging crossborder, transnational and interregional co-operation. Special emphasis is placed on integrating remote regions and those that share external borders with candidate or non-EU countries.
Albania also is receiving funds via Interreg III for cross-border projects with Italy. The region of Puglia is co-operating with local authorities in Albania -- in Vlora, Durres and Tirana -- on projects in agriculture, development of remote rural areas, culture and security.
Such programmes are seen as key to fostering integration and preventing conflicts, as borders are often the site of significant economic and other disparities. Albania and Italy, for example, differ greatly in terms of economic development and opportunity, and the Adriatic has become a major migration route as a result.
The Albanian-Greek border areas, meanwhile, are home to around 1.4 million people -- 900,000 on the Greek side and 500,000 on the Albanian side. The area includes some of Greece's poorest prefectures, while the Albanian border regions are characterised by dependency on agriculture, high unemployment and a severe lack of infrastructure.
The European Commission has recognised the importance of the area for the larger goals of promoting stability and integration. During the period from 2000-2006, Brussels earmarked 90m euros to the region via Interreg III -- a 30% increase from that of the previous period.
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