jobs-creation-project – Albanian Telegraphic Agency.

PM Rama: Zvërnec investment to create 10,000 well-paid jobs

Sonila Mehmeti — Tue, 30 Jun 2026 13:32:46 +0000

TIRANA, June 30 /ATA/- By Maela Marini/ Prime Minister Edi Rama said on Tuesday that foreign investments bring well-paid jobs for Albanians, adding that the Zvërnec project alone will create 10,000 jobs.

Rama was in Pashaliman, Vlora, where a memorandum of understanding was signed between Italian company Fincantieri, Albanian company KAYO and the “Pavarësia” Industrial School, aimed at developing vocational training and employment opportunities in shipbuilding and the maritime industry.

In his remarks on the occasion, Rama said these major investments also have a key component—employment.

“To all those who make sweeping statements about foreign investors, foreign investments and partnerships with foreigners allegedly taking jobs from Albanians, I want to say that no, the truth is the opposite. First and foremost, these investments come for Albanians, for those who want to work, who want to live off their work, who are ready to make sacrifices through work and, through work, grow and climb the steps of a professional career, where the higher you go, the better you are paid,” Rama added.

According to him, “this is true for this investment, but it is true for every other investment as well.”

“This is also true for all investments in tourism. The investment that is the subject of what I consider a rather bewildering and absurd debate will bring, not 500 as here, but 10,000 new job opportunities, and of course it will primarily bring 10,000 new job opportunities for the young men and women of this area and for those from across Albania who will want to become part of it,” Rama added.

The Zvërnec investment, he said, “does not create low-paid jobs or jobs aimed at exploiting cheap labour, but rather jobs for qualified people.”

“The same applies to tourism investments when they belong to the higher end of the consumer market. And if today the tourism industry in Albania, or any other industry, feels compelled to look beyond Europe and even to other continents for labour, this is absolutely not because they want to pay poorly. It is because wages, just like in Greece, are considered by many here in Albania to be not competitive enough,” Rama added.

The Prime Minister said the issue is common across countries around the Mediterranean.

“This is a problem our neighbours to the south have. It is a problem faced by others further north and to the west as well, but we will continue to do everything possible to increase investment, because we want to grow our economy,” he added.

The Prime Minister noted that the country started with an economy valued at under €10 billion and has now surpassed €27 billion, with a target of reaching €35 billion.

“And €35 billion cannot be reached by any other means except through increased investment. All countries and all states compete in one of their main races with each other: attracting foreign investment. Who attracts more foreign investment? Everyone. Whether they are democracies or monarchies, all countries compete to attract your investments,” he said.

The idea that foreign investment is harmful to the homeland, according to Prime Minister Rama, “is the most absurd idea that can be promoted and one that must be firmly rejected.”

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