Serbia and Albania: AFD Group backs projects supporting EU integration

Christophe Lecourtier, CEO of Agence Française de Développement (AFD), visited Serbia and Albania from 6 to 10 September, reaffirming France’s commitment to supporting these EU candidate countries as they undergo far-reaching transformations, according to a press release by AFD. During the visit, AFD Group underscored its role in financing reforms and infrastructure that bring the Western Balkans closer to European standards. The trip highlighted projects in waste management, wastewater treatment, and modernized power grids. It also showcased opportunities for French companies working across the region. The initiatives frame European integration as an investment in Europe’s sustainable development, sovereignty, and energy security.

Closer ties between the Western Balkans and the European Union are not built solely at the negotiating table, but project by project. In both Serbia and Albania, AFD Group provides financing and expertise to support progress toward European standards. AFD Group has been a member of the Western Balkans Investment Framework since 2022. It operates in the region as part of Team Europe, combining its own financing with European Union delegated grants. This approach brings together financing, expertise, and shared priorities to accelerate transformations needed for European integration.

In Serbia, Christophe Lecourtier visited Kalenić, where a major waste management project is being implemented with support from AFD Group. He was accompanied by Sara Pavkov, Minister of Environmental Protection, and a representative of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). Together, they observed the challenges of modernizing the sector and improving waste management. In Albania, cooperation is taking a different form in Durrës, the country’s second-largest city. There, AFD signed financing for the first phase of a wastewater project through a sovereign loan supplemented by a European Union delegated grant.

The Durrës project aims to increase the share of wastewater collected and treated from 20% to 85%. It directly supports Albania’s progress under Chapter 27 of the EU accession negotiations, which covers environment and climate change.

“We are very proud to launch this major project for Durrës,” said Christophe Lecourtier. “It fully demonstrates what Team Europe can achieve when the European Union, France through AFD, and Albania join forces. This project marks another important milestone in our partnership with Albania.”

Supporting these transformations also means strengthening economic ties by creating opportunities for French companies. French firms already contribute expertise in energy, water, waste management, transport, and infrastructure across the region. In Belgrade and Tirana, Christophe Lecourtier met with French companies involved in these transformations. At Nikola Tesla Airport, operated by Vinci Airports with support from Proparco, and in Durrës, where Artelia and Seureca helped prepare the wastewater project, French expertise is already playing a role. The twofold objective is to support countries on their path toward the European Union and to turn that prospect into tangible improvements in people’s daily lives.