The government granted 155,000 square meters to a concession. The project was presented by Rama in 2019 and will see the site being turned into an amusement park including sports fields, basketball courts, and tennis courts. Despite the project being put forward in May 2019, Rama has now included the project under the umbrella of “reconstruction” following the November 2019 earthquake.
He had previously published it on his Facebook page, prior to the earthquake, confirming in June of the same year that it would be paid for via PPP.
Rama also spoke about the Port of Durres, saying it would become the largest in the Mediterranean in terms of investment.
He spoke again about the investment from the United Arab Emirates and said that the Port of Durres will be transformed and described this as “a new era for Albania”.
“It is an investment that due to the volume and the name of the company, will bring a chain of interests of that level for Durrës and all of Albania”, said Rama.
The EU delegation in Tirana in March asked the Albanian government for clarifications on the Agreement on Economic Cooperation between Albania and the United Arab Emirates, including the concession for the Port of Durres which was given to a company from the United Arab Emirates, Symphony Invest.
The EU asked Albania to assess the compatibility between the concession agreement and the EU Stabilization and Association Agreement, of which Albania is a party. The Stabilization and Association Agreement with the EU sets out strict conditions of competition and transparency for concessions and investments in the country.
