Deputy Prime Minister, at the same time Minister of Infrastructure and Energy, Belinda Balluku said on Monday that the draft budget of 2025 is ambitious and supports and stimulates sustainable economic and social development, as well as the continuation of deep reforms undertaken in all sectors towards the fulfillment of the vision strategic "Albania 2030".

According to Balluku, the draft budget grants Lek 74 billion to the Infrastructure Ministry, of which Lek 67.38 billion are capital expenditures.

The Deputy Prime Minister emphasized that Corridor VIII and the Blue Corridor, as two of the most important and strategic projects of the Albanian government, receive significant support in the 2025 draft budget.

Balluku informed that as part of the multimodal Corridor VIII, rail transport is an important component. Likewise, an indisputable part of Corridor VIII, she said, are the interconnection lines for cross-border energy exchanges.

"We are already implementing the construction of the 400-kilovolt line Albania-North Macedonia, which crosses Fier, Elbasan, Qafë Thana and then goes to Bitola," declared Balluku.

The Deputy PM also said that after the opening of the Kashar-Thumana segment, part of Blue Corridor, which is already functional and has significantly shortened the distance between the capital and the north of the country, the government is ready to open the tender for the next important segment of this Corridor, the Milot-Balldren one and meanwhile the negotiation and signing of contracts for the other three axes, Kashar-Lekaj, Lekaj-Fier and Milot-Thumane are ready.

The Deputy Prime Minister emphasized that the 2025 draft budget also reflects a balanced geographic distribution of investments and new projects from north to south, from east to west.

"Giving life to the construction sites in the four corners of the country and giving an answer once and for all to the disinformation rhetoric that the Rama Government has special attention in the South. An untruth that is answered by the aforementioned investments and by dozens of other important projects in Lezha, Shkodra, Bulqiza, Dibra, and elsewhere in the North," stated Balluku. The budget is expected to be approved on Tuesday after a two-day marathon season.