Pan-European Project, time has come for Corridor 8

People have been talking about it for many years. So far, only a few segments have been built in the so called Corridor 8. This is an ambitious infrastructural project which goes through three Balkan countries: Albania, Macedonia and Bulgaria. As part of the so called Pan-European Transport Project, it is one of the ten most important corridors which aims at connecting the Adriatic Sea with the Black Sea. Although it is the only one that crosses Albania, along with corridors 4, 7 and 9 is one of the four ones that will cross Bulgaria, giving it added value to European transport. Perhaps, this is the reason why this country is interested to implement this project as soon as possible, tolerating pending issues that it has with neighboring Macedonia and also issues concerning the Bulgarian minority in Albania. Therefore, in December this year, Bulgaria will negotiate a meeting with the World Bank for the construction of Corridor 8. This fact was announced by the head of the Bulgarian government, Bojko Borisov, according to whom, such meeting will help to secure an international funding scheme for investments of roads and railways, which must join the three abovementioned countries. According to the Bulgarian representative, the Balkan countries have been waiting to receive funds for such big projects for a long time and this long wait has made this the poorest region in Europe. But now, after many years of wait, it seems that time has come for Corridor 8 to be built and this is also due to the fact that Balkan countries have decided to put conflicts aside and appear in front of the international community as a team, demanding funds for projects that would change the future of this region. Let us recall that three years ago, on 31 October 2014, Albania, Macedonia and Bulgaria signed a joint declaration on Corridor 8. Through this declaration, they committed that they would turn this project into a priority of the European Union, underlining the fact that the construction of Corridor 8 has a very special importance for the region of these three countries and also for the Balkan region as a whole, because it guarantees a faster movement of people and goods.

The new project will link Albania to Varna

By stretching as far as Varna, Bulgaria, Corridor 8 opens up Albania in terms free movement of goods and people. Almost 1300 km long, the ambitious project, which starts in Bari, Italy, goes through Brindisi to reach Durres, Tirana, Elbasan and then Struga, Kercova, Gostivar, Tetotov, Skopje, Kumanovo, Kriva, Pallanka, Sofia, Plovdiv and end in Burgas-Varna in Bulgaria. This is a giant project which includes, among others, ports, roads, railways, airports, but it also includes multi-modal and inter-modal infrastructure of transport. Besides its practical aspect in facilitating exchanges, this project also offers Albania a new geo-political importance, thanks to a new role that it assumes as a bridge linking the countries of Eastern Europe and Asia. On the other hand, in the European point of view, this corridor, along with others, will contribute in the stability of a region which has constantly generated instability and crises between its neighbors.

Railway, an important part of Corridor 8

The railway system remains an important part of the implementation of Corridor 8. It was the former minister of Transport, Edmond Haxhinasto who announced a while ago that serious efforts are being made about the Corridor 8 railway. “We will demand a European Union commissioner, a representative who will offer the necessary support and the necessary attention for this corridor”, he said. In whole, Albania must build 2.8 km long rail tracks up to the border. This will also enable the connection with the Corridor 8’s railway. The project enables the construction of the new railway line connecting the railway station of Lin with the city of Struga (Macedonia), Durres sea port to Pogradec and it will also enable the construction of the new railway line from Vlora to Rrogozhina, as part of the Corridor 8 railway. The Corridor 8 Secretariat based in Bari (Italy), has initiated a feasibility study on the railway lines that are missing in this corridor. According to this study, our railway network will become a transit network.

ORIGIN

The project for the ten corridors of the Pan-European Transport dates back to the second Pan-European Transport Conference held in Crete in March 1994. This conference discussed the road network in Central and Eastern Europe which required big investments which would go on for the next 10 or 15 years. Meanwhile, more elements were added in the third Conference hosted in Helsinki in 1997. This is why these corridors are sometimes known as “Corridors of Crete” or “Corridors of Helsinki”, despite their geographical locations. Meanwhile, Corridor 10 was proposed following the end of wars between the states of former Yugoslavia.