VLORE BYPASS

Construction of a 29 km highway bypassing the city of Vlore to improve road traffic flow along the southern coast of Albania.

The project will allow time savings due to the provision of additional road capacity and the relief of congestion in the centre of Vlora. As a result the project shal facilitates trade, support private sector development, develop tourism, promote regional and national GDP growth and, ultimately, contribute to reducing poverty. As such the project is fully consistent with EU objectives and the EIB’s mandate in Albania.

While no formal strategic environmental assessment has been undertaken for the road investment program, an Albanian National Transport Plan was prepared in 2005. Amongst other things, this gave some consideration to the strategic environmental issues related to identified sector investments and may be considered as broadly consistent with the philosophy of the SEA Directive 2001/42/EC. If the project was located in a Member State, it would fall within Annex I of the EU Directive 2011/92/EU. Hence, an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) procedure is required. The promoter commissioned an EIA and the draft report was completed in early 2012. The project will cross the Narta Landscape Protected Area for about 3 km at its northern end and passes close to the Managed Nature Reserve of Karaburun at its southern end (both proposed Emerald Network sites and therefore potentially future Natura 2000 sites). Therefore the principles of the Habitats (92/43/EEC) and Birds (2009/147/EC) Directives apply. The project also passes close to Kaninë, an Illyrian hilltop settlement with important cultural property value. The project requires the acquisition of about 76 ha of land.

The promoter is a public contracting authority. The Bank will require the Promoter to ensure that any procurement procedures are done in accordance with the Bank’s Guide to Procurement and the relevant applicable EU public procurement rules.