Regional Development Programme III
Duration: 2017 – 2018
Funding: Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and Austrian Development Agency
Implementing Agency: ECORYS Netherland in partnership with Co-PLAN, Albania
Project Counterpart: Ministry of Urban Development and Regional Development Agencies
Beneficiaries: Government of Albania and the Albanian citizens
Regional Development Program III is a joint continuous effort to support the regional development reform in Albania, co-funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the Austrian Development Agency (ADA) and implemented in partnership with the Government of Albania, Ministry of Urban Development.
The project is a follow up of the Regional Development Project in Northern Albania, which introduced new dimensions to the discussions on RD; providing a methodology for the establishment of the RD coordination mechanisms within the existing government structure and an approach to link sub-regional strategies to practical project implementation that allows for the formulation of area based development strategies.
RDP II was a bridging phase with the objective to support the Government of Albania to define the RD policy and to design a programme of Austrian and Swiss contributions to the RD reform. The technical assistance, financed by SDC together with GIZ and ADA, focused on the elaboration of a policy document, a draft law on regional development, a new financial framework on regional development as well as a draft analysis of the regions (“regional profiles”).
The overall goal of the project is to reduce disparities in Albania by supporting the development of strong regions, which advance their potentials and provide better social and economic conditions for their citizens.The main objectives of RDP 3 are:
- support to the Central Government in defining, coordinating and implementing the institutional and legal framework for Regional Development;
- support new regional development institutions in making effective and strategic use of funds through partnership approach;
- improve the socio-economic conditions of Albanian citizens through implementation of Regional Development projects reflecting regional needs and priorities.