Integrated Cross-Sectorial Plan of Tirana-Durres Area

to the success of economic development,
which ranks only behind Poland and Slovenia
among countries with economies in transition.
Since 1990 Albania has reduced the difference
in GDP with other countries in the region. Also,
during the past two decades the country has
undergone significant structural changes,
which shows the transition from an economy
based on raw materials and agriculture and
industry, into a more diverse economy, where
the service sector plays a leading role.
During the last three decades, Albania has
seen a significant and very fast shift from an
isolated and centralized economy to a global
interconnected system. One of the regions
with the largest increase in the country has
precisely been Tirana-Durres region. Favoured
by the geographical position, the presence of
the port of Durres, which is the largest port in
Albania for passengers and freight transport,
and the Mother Theresa Airport, which is only
20 km away from the two main cities, as well
as the central administration in Tirana, this
region has been a magnet for the movement of
the population and businesses.
The key events during the past 25 years of
the development of the region, are briefly
presented as follows:
• the collapse of the centralized economy;
• the rapid growth of the region’s population,
which nearly tripled as a result of migrations
from the north and south towards the Tirana-
Durres region;
• the rapid development of the construction
and services industry as a result of the
increased demand;
• the emergence of local private firms in trade,
agriculture and other products such as bread,
milk, processing of meat products and services
such as bars, restaurants, transport;
• the establishment of foreign small and
medium enterprises in this region;
• the investments in infrastructure, such as
the improvement of Tirana-Durres highway,
urban quality in major cities, water and
electricity service;
• the emergence of the private education
sector;
• the emergence of the private health sector.
ICSP Tirana-Durres comes as a response to
the territorial socio-economic development
in the last 25 years and serves as a guideline
for the economic, social and environmental
development of the region, by boosting the
economy and improving the environment.
The ICSP Tirana-Durres aims to guide the
development of the territory through a vision
that will function as a common denominator
for the local government units (LGUs). The plan
will also serve as a guide for LGUs for their
coordination of local policies, projects and
plans, as well as for vertical coordination and
cooperation. This plan will be their reference
framework during the process of drafting the
general local plans, but also strategic projects.
The plan is also a guarantee for foreign
investors and businesses who have an interest
in engaging in the further development of the
Tirana-Durres metropolitan area.
1.1 Economic profile of
the region
A summary of the economic profile at
national level
With an area of 28,748 km 2 and population of
2.9 million, Albania has an average density
of 100 inhabitants/km 2 , compared to 116.7
inhabitants/km 2 which is the average of the 28
EU Member States.
The gross domestic product in 2015 is
estimated at ALL 1,310 billion, while in
foreign currency about $11.4 billion, or
about 9.5 billion euro. The nominal income
per capita is ALL 454 thousand, 3,945
dollars, 3,287 euro, or about 12% of the
average nominal income of the EU. The
income per capita, estimated in terms of
purchasing power are 11,249 dollars, or
about 30% of the average income per capita
of the EU. A specific feature of the Albanian
economy is the relatively high share of
agriculture, with about 22.6% of the GDP,
compared with the 1.6% of GDP in the EU.
The rural population in our country is about
46% and employees in our agricultural
sector constitute 41.7% of the total.
21