In a joint ceremony, the German Ambassador Peter Zingraf, the Chargé d´Affaires of the European Union in Albania, Mr. Alexis Hupin, Minister of Education Ms. Evis Kushi, Mayor of Tirana Mr. Erion Veliaj and the Director of KfW Office Albania, Ms. Brit Horschke participated in the groundbreaking ceremony for the energy-efficiency renovation of dormitories of the Student City I campus. The Project provides financing of EUR 30 million in loans and grants by the German Government through KfW Development Bank and EUR 4.78 million as a grant agreement provided by the European Union through the Western Balkans Investment Facility (WBIF).
The project´s objective is the energy-efficient rehabilitation of 19 dormitories following the EU Nearly Zero Energy Standard and the construction of at least 3 new buildings according to the same standards. 4,700 students will benefit from greatly improved living conditions in the dormitories.
The improvements in the dormitories infrastructure will decrease the energy consumption by an average of 20% compared to current levels. They will also promote social infrastructure for underprivileged students. A minimum of 70% of the capacity of the rehabilitated dormitories will be occupied by students with low incomes. The first phase consists in the civil works for a cluster of 5 buildings, which are expected to be completed in 9 months.
Ambassador Zingraf underlined that it is of special importance for Germany to support Albania in the education of its youth, to enable the youth to study, live and thrive and to contribute to the economy here in Albania. “With this project we are improving the living conditions for 4,700 students – 70% of them from low-income backgrounds. At the same time, these measures support Albania in its move towards energy efficiency and to meeting the requirements for EU accession”, declared the German Ambassador.
“We are extremely happy to continue our support toward Albanian students and the youth of this country. Soon, thousands of Albanian students will have the same, if not better, living conditions as their peers in the EU. As we all know, in the past, amidst these buildings of the Student City, the vital energy of youth changed an entire nation. We are sure that future generations will take this innovative project as a future model to strive for more efficiency, a green transition, and environmentally friendly solutions”, declared the EU Chargé d´Affaires Alexis Hupin.
Background Information
In Albania, KfW carries out the German Financial Cooperation through various projects and programmes. KfW provides grant aid and concessional loans for key investments and project-related consultancy services. German development cooperation with Albania started in 1988. Since then, the German Government has committed more than one billion EUR for development projects and programs. The energy sector is a priority area within the scope of German Financial Cooperation with Albania, with an active portfolio of 392 million EUR.
The WBIF is a joint initiative of the European Commission, the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the European Investment Bank (EIB), bilateral donors and Western Balkans beneficiaries launched in December 2009 with the purpose to deliver finance and technical assistance for strategic investments. The KfW and the World Bank subsequently joined the platform. In December 2018, the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) became a participating organisation in the WBIF.
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