"Gateway to the Alps"/ Rama: Project that connects the northern areas with the rest of the country, here's what it includes

2026-04-19 10:13:00, Politikë CNA

"Gateway to the Alps"/ Rama: Project that connects the northern areas

Prime Minister Edi Rama spoke on his podcast about the "Gateway to the Alps" project that joins the Mountain Package.

Rama said that this project constitutes an intervention with an investment of 100 million euros, co-financed with the European Investment Bank. According to him, this will further develop tourism, especially mountain tourism.

"A note, which I believe is worth mentioning, because in these weeks, in these months, we are talking about the Mountain Package. What is added to the Mountain Package as a project called "Gateway to the Alps", constitutes a direct intervention with a massive investment of 100 million euros, co-financed with the European Investment Bank, for the further development of tourism, with a focus on mountain tourism. It is a project that we have been working on for a long time, which aims to better connect the northern areas with each other and with the rest of the country, undoubtedly creating easy and sustainable access throughout the year. It includes the improvement of road and transport infrastructure, investments in water supply and wastewater management, as well as interventions in urban development and the restoration of that valuable historical heritage that is also in the northern area. While, of course, the project could not also take care to ensure, to guarantee all those wonderful parts of nature that must remain "untouchable ," said Rama.

The head of government also spoke about the diaspora summit in Tirana, where he said that it confirmed the change in Albania's relationship with the diaspora.

Rama further said that what was a distance until yesterday has today become a bridge of connections in the economy, in knowledge and in increasing Albania's influence through Albanians wherever they are.

“The 4th Diaspora Summit, which took place on April 13 and 15, confirmed a clear change in Albania’s relationship with the diaspora and Albania’s own position in the eyes of the diaspora. I say confirmed because this was something that we saw and touched on concretely in the past elections, where the diaspora participated in a not small number compared to expectations, because it was the first time it participated in the elections and where, in my view, a massive support was confirmed due to the great changes and transformation that Albania has undergone in recent years. But what is more important is that today the Albanian diaspora is not simply a story of departure, but is an added force for the development of the country, which appears not simply and only through what the diaspora has always done, which has been the monetary support of families here in Albania, but also through truly admirable elements of its new world, whether those who have stood out in professional fields or those who have stood out in the field of entrepreneurship. And What was a gap or a distance until yesterday, today has become a bridge of very concrete connections in the economy, in knowledge and, in general, in the growth of Albania's influence through its Albanians wherever they are. It is a reality that is directly related, as I said, to the transformation of Albania itself from an economy with less than 10 billion euros of domestic production, such as the economy that we had when we started this governing journey, to an economy with around 27 billion euros of Domestic Production, with the objective of reaching 35 billion euros by the end of this decade. From a country with less than 3000 euros of income per capita, to a country with over 11000 euros of income per capita, with the aim of exceeding 15000 euros by the end of this decade. From 2 million tourists once, where those who went abroad were also counted as tourists and, when they returned, were included in the list of these 2 million and a few, to an Albania that welcomes 12 million visitors in year, as happened not long ago, when the year 2025 closed. From some 300-400 million euros of foreign investments per year, to over 1.6 billion euros per year. These are not just numbers, but are just a few indicators of an Albania that has grown, of an Albania that has become stronger, of an Albania that, above all, has changed the way it functions and, for this reason, has also changed the way it is perceived. And above all, this change is reflected in the relationship between Albania and the diaspora and the diaspora with Albania , "said Prime Minister Rama. /CNA