"Rilindja 2.0" program presented/ 11 objectives for regional development

2026-05-28 12:32:00, Aktualitet CNA

"Rilindja 2.0" program presented/ 11 objectives for regional

Minister Ervin Demo presented the new program "Rilindja 2.0" in a statement to the media after the government meeting. Demo stated that this program aims for extensive interventions in the territory and sustainable regional development through 11 strategic objectives.

The Minister stated that the program will focus on building local museums, which will be focused on the identities of certain areas of Albania, while another focus is improving urban access.

According to Demos, in the field of urban transport, the aim is to introduce electric buses in several municipalities.

The program's objectives include the development of intelligent cities through smart cities, through the integration of digital systems into local services.

Full statement:

Today we presented the new program 'Rilindja 2.0' regarding territorial interventions and sustainable regional development.

There are 11 strategic objectives that will be included within this new program, starting with strengthening local identity. This program in this context will focus on building local museums, which will be focused on the identities that certain areas of Albania have.

Improving functionality and access in urban areas. Here we are focusing on the construction of parking lots to create sustainable access to urban areas. 160 thousand square meters of surface area have been identified in 12 municipalities that have a potential of up to 15 thousand parking spaces. We are focusing on municipalities that have not only a strong urban intensity, but also significant tourist flows, taking into account the pace of tourism growth in recent years.

The third objective is to regenerate former industrial spaces into assets for the community. These are former factories that have been privatized or are partially privatized, or are fully state-owned. These should be returned to the community, the focus will be on primary services that help the community. But also looking at local economic development, focusing on new startups that can use these assets.

The fourth objective is to increase the standards of public infrastructure, harmonizing local architecture with what cities offer, creating new development potential for certain areas. We focus on public facilities related to the education system, the pre-university system. We are working with local and foreign architects who will assist municipalities with projects.

The fifth objective is to promote innovation. Promoting startups will have a local focus. It is necessary to create a dynamic map of the opportunities that are created for young people to create their own businesses.

The sixth objective is to improve the urban environment through full coverage of the territory for waste management. In this context, we are working with many municipalities regarding 100% coverage of the territory, but also by meeting those standards that will be mandatory as a result of EU integration, starting recycling and not only.

The seventh objective is urban public transport, we are addressing a significant number of municipalities that will be models of this initiative. The transport will be based on electric buses. The first municipality to be piloted will be within the last three months of this year. This will be a radical transformation opportunity for this service at the local level. The central government will come to the aid of municipalities to overcome the first barrier in terms of capital investment.

The eighth objective is to promote healthy living, through new recreational and sports spaces at the local level. 140 spots have been identified to create these new poles, which will also be supported in cooperation with other partners.

The next objective is to strengthen the capacities of municipalities in terms of maintaining assets that have territory. This involves establishing a new logistics fleet. You are now in the execution phase of this process.

Objective 11 is the development of intelligent cities through smart cities. This will require in itself a combination of the systems that municipalities currently have in use, also being combined with the national program regarding Smart Cities. /CNA