Minister Balluku’s speech during the ceremony for the launch of the “Municipal Infrastructure V” program.

Hello everyone!

Dear Ambassadors,

It is a real pleasure to meet often to start or finish good work, but as it is the cornerstone of any procedure, I usually prefer the beginning stage. Despite a history of delays and extensions in public construction projects, we have recently completed projects on schedule and in accordance with contracts. All related agencies, including the Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy, are now striving to complete each project ahead of schedule.

To tell the truth, we have chosen this place in Lezhë to highlight the remarkable changes that have taken place. Significant changes are taking place in all urban centers and infrastructure, both local and metropolitan. To be honest, water and sanitation are among the most important components of any community.

It should also be noted that God has endowed us, our country, the Albanians, with innumerable beauties. He has always been generous with us; therefore, these assets that we have inherited from nature must be managed in the best way, and on the other hand, we must preserve them; we must protect them.

Given the enormous impact that tourism has had on our economy, especially in the last two to three years, when both civil aviation and the hotel industry have set records, these beauties are becoming more and more valuable. Without a doubt, this economic expansion has an impact on travel agencies, investors, and even airlines and transport companies, but I have no doubt that it has a direct or indirect impact on every Albanian. Undoubtedly, as I mentioned earlier, one of the main foundations of the basic infrastructure for the growth of numerous industries, especially tourism, which is also one of our strategic goals, is water supply and sanitation infrastructure.

Today, we are going to talk again about the Municipal Infrastructure V program, which will be implemented from 2021 to 2027 and will focus on investments in the water supply and sanitation sector in tourist areas.

The financing of this program comes from the German government through the KFW, which I would like to thank for being one of our main partners in all infrastructure transformation processes in the Republic of Albania; the Swiss government through SECO, to which I would also like to thank for all the contributions over the years; and of course the European Union, which is now a major force in our country and was present in the weeks of October when Albania was formally authorized to start negotiations just a few days ago. More than ever, we must express our gratitude to the European Union and acknowledge that from this day on we feel an inseparable and essential part of it. Every action and initiative that we work on together will surely bring us one step closer to this integration.

Through the WBIF and IPA 2018 funding, the European Union is contributing to our country. Meanwhile, the Albanian government has contributed part of its funds to the program. Under this program, the cities of Shkodra, Lezha, Elbasan, Fier, Berat, and Vlora will have their sewage and water systems rehabilitated. In addition, the project will upgrade the treatment standards of the wastewater treatment plant in the city of Lezha and construct wastewater treatment plants for the cities of Berat and Shkodra.

Today’s ceremony marks the start of the project in this municipality, which will fund the development of separate rainwater collection systems to prevent flooding during the rainy season. As we all know from history, flooding caused by heavy rains has often affected the Lezhë area. In addition, this project provides for the construction of the water supply network for Gocaj, Kakarriq, and Kodër Marlekaj. This initiative also includes the rehabilitation of the wastewater treatment plant.

The aim of the project is to improve the water supply situation and the performance of the regional water and wastewater company in Lezhë. It should be remembered that only two years ago, we started a deep reform process that affected all water and sewerage companies that were previously assigned to municipalities. However, as a result of the deep reform that we have carried out, regional units and regional companies have been created, which, based on all the indicators that we have seen in 2023 and will have in 2024, undoubtedly show that we have a good management of these regional companies, reducing the number of employees and the costs generated by operations while increasing and optimizing finances. And undoubtedly, all this will be reflected in the provision of better-quality services.

It should be noted that this project also includes investments in infrastructure, engineering services, and institutional support of around 18 million euros. About 3 km of the main water supply line will be built in Shëngjin, one of the most important tourist units in our country, a new distribution network of about 12 km for the Kodër Marlekaj neighborhood, and a new distribution network of about 16 km for the villages of Kakarriq and Gocaj, where two new water wells will also be built.

The treatment level of the Lezhë Wastewater Treatment Plant will be improved by increasing the primary treatment capacity as well as by automating the service through the SCADA system, which allows complete remote control of all defects, providing the opportunity for timely intervention and avoiding any interruption.

As already mentioned, investments will also be made in the construction of the separate storm water system, the main objective of which is to eliminate flooding. This phase will complete the entire investment for this area, ensuring 24-hour water supply for the city of Lezhë and, of course, for the two villages of Kakarriq and Gocaj, as well as improving the drinking water supply in Shëngjin. In addition, this investment will significantly improve flood prevention.

The summer season, which I would say, as we usually say, after the 1st of October, has come to an end, but it is not over yet, as the current temperatures we are experiencing prove. I will try to be as brief as possible in my remarks because this tourist season continues in Albania and we have tourists on our Adriatic coast. In addition to being a successful season, this season has been extended, not only because of the good weather that Albania has but also because of the quality services provided by our tourism units. I have to say that it was another successful season. Just like 2023, this season has marked what we expected but also achieved results beyond our forecasts, both in terms of the number of foreign visitors to our country and the quality of services provided by our units. It has also made a significant contribution to the country’s economy. However, all these contributions must be strongly supported by the Albanian government and all our partners in terms of supporting infrastructure. Therefore, one of our main focuses and priorities of the Albanian government is undoubtedly the provision of wastewater services throughout the country, especially in these coastal areas.

Only in the coastal areas from south to north, we produced 215,000 m3 of water per day during the summer season and treated approximately 170,000 m3 of wastewater per day in wastewater treatment plants. This is a great challenge that requires concrete commitment but also strategic investments because we have to recognize that the legacy we found in the water and sanitation sector was completely devastated, with very old water supply systems and almost nonexistent sanitation systems.

Next year, in 2025, in the budget project that we will soon be discussing in Parliament, we have planned a series of major investments in the water and wastewater sector, investments that will involve 8 new water supply systems and 6 wastewater and wastewater treatment structures throughout the country.

These investments amount to more than 80 million euros and will affect more than 210,000 residents.

Our government is aware that the sector has a significant need for investment and intervention; therefore, we are doing our utmost, and I believe that with the help of our strategic partners, we will be able to achieve these standards in the water and sanitation sector, which will not only improve the lives of our citizens but also boost the tourism industry and thus further impact our economy.

Thank you for your attention!