Mining Development Strategy 2026-2040, 181 million euros for investments and the path towards the EU

2025-12-17 15:13:00, Aktualitet CNA

Mining Development Strategy 2026-2040, 181 million euros for investments and the

Increasing investments to boost the mining sector and meet the necessary conditions for the country's accession to the European Union will require millions of euros in the coming years. The government has analyzed two options for investment needs and budget planning in a strategy for the years 2026-2040 dedicated to the development of this sector, choosing a variant with a cost of 181 million euros.

According to the strategy, the methodology defines two distinct budget periods: a first phase of increased investments until 2030, which coincides with the national objective of accession to the European Union, and a second phase of consolidation for the period 2031–2040, where the focus shifts to maintaining and expanding achievements.

“In the 2026–2030 phase, the policies of the Mining Strategy are synchronized with S3, therefore the budget ceiling is maintained in line with the ambitious expectations of this strategy. S3 foresees a total financing of around 5,912,000,000 lek (54,993,500 euros) for the period 2025–2030, which corresponds to around 11 million euros per year, a level significantly higher than the historical average annual budget of the sector (around 5.1 million euros/year).

This requires the mobilization of additional resources beyond traditional budgetary funds, especially for measures related to technological modernization, digitalization, research and development (including aerial surveys), standardization according to the UNFC and strengthening of human and institutional capacities. In the second phase, 2031–2040, the annual budget is expected to increase at a fixed rate of 3% per year, in order to maintain real purchasing power, ensure fiscal sustainability and the continuity of investments in mining infrastructure and the CRM/SR ecosystem,” the document states.

The Strategy argues that Option II, in contrast, takes as a basis the annual average budget forecast by S3 for the period 2025–2030 (1,182,400,000 lek) and applies 3% indexation above this level for the years 2031–2040.

"This approach avoids the risk of underestimating financial needs, by more faithfully reflecting the real costs of industrial modernization, research and technological infrastructure. In this sense, Option II provides a more realistic and sustainable long-term planning, because it relies on the five-year average capacity projected by S3 and creates sufficient space to meet the commitments stemming from the CRMA, environmental standards and international reporting requirements (UNFC–CRIRSCO, ETS/CBAM)" assesses the strategy already in consultation.

The document has at least five policies developed within it, such as: strengthening resource evaluation and extraction, modernization, recycling and diversification of the full value chain in the mining sector, safety, environment and sustainable development, strengthening human capital and technology, and finally integrated information and transparency./ Monitor