The “Gateway to the Alps” project envisages an investment of Euro 100 million for the Shkodra region and aims to improve public infrastructure and develop year-round tourism in the north of the country.

The Minister of Infrastructure and Energy, Enea Karakaçi, during his speech on Thursday in the Parliament, announced that the project includes the construction of connecting roads, improving public transport, and the infrastructural connection between the coast and the Alps, creating opportunities for economic and tourist development in the surrounding areas.

Karakaçi emphasized that the project will improve the connectivity of tourist areas and will create opportunities for the development of year-round tourism in the Shkodra region and other surrounding regions, including Lezha, Kukes, and Dibra.

He added that the financing of the project does not increase public debt and is a concrete measure for the development of the north of the country.

According to him, the remaining part of the financing, Euro 50 million, has been committed by the German KfW, and the next phase of the project is in the approval process.

Minister Karakaçi stressed that the investment will bring direct benefits to the region’s residents and visitors, improving the infrastructure and tourism potential of northern Albania.

The “Gateway to the Alps” project, financed with Euro 100 million by the European Investment Bank, the minister said, is not related to the “Mountain Package,” which is related to private investments and other government projects. “This is not a political project, but a concrete measure for the Shkodra region and investments for the region,” he declared.

The minister responded to questions and concerns from opposition MPs about the lack of transparency regarding the projects to be financed and the effect on external debt. The lending deal was approved by the Parliament MPs at the end of the discussions.