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EC supports Albania's EU drive with 93 mln USD

Xinhua, December 24, 2016 Adjust font size:

The European Commission(EC) announced Friday that it has adopted the 2016 Program for Albania granting 89.7 million euros (93.7 million U.S. dollars) to support the country on its drive towards European Union accession.

The program followed the enlargement policy "fundamentals first" by focusing on the areas of rule of law, fundamental rights, good governance, economic development and competitiveness, the EC said.

This program specifically supports the implementation of the Albanian strategy for the fight against corruption and the reform of the judiciary by continuing its technical assistance program EURALIUS.

Apart from the judiciary, the program also backs the transport sector, with a focus on the road maintenance to ensure efficiency in the planning and spending of public resources, local media reported citing the EC.

According to the Commission, 2016 program builds on the 2014 and 2015 programs within the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA II), which amounts to a total of 649.4 million euros for Albania over the 2014-2020 period.

The main goal of this financial support is to contribute to the economic development of Albania, creating more jobs and prosperity for all citizens.

Support will also be provided to the environment sector with a focus on implementation of the water supply and waste water strategy, and to agriculture and rural development, in particular for the development of a land cadastre and for improved food safety and veterinary and phytosanitary standards, in view of underpinning agro-food exports as well as to the fishery sector, the program reveals. (1 euro = 1.04 U.S. dollars) Endit