site.btaAlbanian Foreign Minister Spiropali Says Corridor VIII Is More Than Transport Corridor, Announces New Meeting on Project

Albania’s Foreign Minister Elisa Spiropali told at a press conference that Corridor VII is more than just a transport corridor. She was speaking following a ministerial on Corridor VIII in Tirana on Wednesday. She stressed that the route also serves trade, the economy, investment, energy security, and mobility.

The Albanian capital hosted a ministerial meeting and economic forum on Transport Corridor VIII - an infrastructure project linking the Adriatic Sea with the Black Sea through Albania, North Macedonia, and Bulgaria, extending to Italy and Romania. The Pan-European Transport Corridor VIII is a key component of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T).

The ministerial as held at the Palace of Brigades in the Albanian capital and focused on strengthening strategic cooperation in connectivity, sustainability, and regional integration. The meeting was chaired by Elisa Spiropali. Delegations attending the event were led by Antonio Tajani, Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister; Nikolay Pavlov, Bulgaria’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Timco Mucunski, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of North Macedonia, and Octavian Serban, Romania’s Ambassador to Albania.

Spiropali noted that practical progress on Corridor VIII was discussed during Wednesday’s meeting and that the participating countries agreed their national segments should advance in synchrony.

"Rail infrastructure must meet rail infrastructure, roads must meet roads, and ports must be well connected to the inland without delays at the borders," the Albanian Foreign Minister said.

She added that the countries will focus on completing the missing links and said that a corridor can function only when standards are defined, procedures are simplified, and financing is coordinated.

Spiropali also announced that a second meeting on Pan-European Corridor VIII is expected to take place by the end of the year at the border between Bulgaria and North Macedonia.

"Corridor VIII is at the heart of our (Albania’s) national transport strategy, with more than EUR 2 billion in investments in priority projects that are already being prepared or implemented," she added.

Spiropali said that the countries had signed a Declaration on the corridor, reflecting their shared political commitment and strengthening further institutional cooperation.

"Our goal is simple - to turn Corridor VIII into a true European corridor, not just a line on the map," Spiropali said.

The Bulgarian delegation, led by Deputy Foreign Minister Nikolay Pavlov, included Bulgaria’s Ambassador to Albania Ivaylo Kirov; Dimitar Stanchev, Head of the Western Balkans, Croatia and Slovenia Department at the Southeast Europe Directorate of the Foreign Ministry; Bulgaria’s Deputy Ambassador to Albania Dimitrina Temelkova; Katerina Yanakieva, First Secretary at the Western Balkans, Croatia and Slovenia Department of the Southeast Europe Directorate, and Daniel Shekerletov, representative of the Ministry of Transport and Communications.