The European Commission approved 50 million euros to support the EU4Culture program, which will go towards the restoration of cultural monuments damaged by the earthquake of November 26, 2019.

This fund is part of a package of 100 million euros, approved in support of the efforts of the Albanian government for rehabilitation and reconstruction after the earthquake. This financing is part of the general promise of the European Commission of 115 million euros, given at the International Conference of Donors “Together for Albania”, at the beginning of this year.

The Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement, Olivér Várhelyi, said that, “with the approval of this financial package of 100 million euros, the European Union is keeping its commitment to help Albania in its reconstruction efforts after the earthquake, just as we are supporting the country to cope with the consequences of the COVID-19 crisis. We have kept our promise to stand by the citizens of Albania and we have renewed our support for Albania and its European future”.

The newly approved program will focus on the rehabilitation and reconstruction of educational facilities, including furniture and equipment, to enable children and young people to return to school with better conditions and facilities. It will be based on the works already started in the framework of the existing reconstruction program of 15 million euros financed by the European Commission. The new program will further finance the rehabilitation of damaged cultural heritage sites, including monuments, museums, libraries and archaeological sites, thus contributing to local economic development.

All construction will follow the “Build Better” principle, implementing sustainable construction norms and reducing future risk, as well as rebuilding stronger, safer and more disaster-resistant infrastructure and systems. The special measure will also bring improvements in energy efficiency.