Montenegro and Albania will issue a public call for a contractor to build their interstate bridge over the Bojana River only after both governments agree, adopt and sign an implementation protocol, according to the Ministry of Transport of Montenegro. The protocol must be completed before the construction tender can be launched.
Albania has delivered the document to Montenegro, and the two sides are still aligning its provisions on responsibilities and procedures for the project. Montenegro’s transport ministry initiated a joint meeting with Albanian counterparts to speed up the process; Albania accepted the proposal, but the date has yet to be set.
Once the protocol is agreed and signed, the countries will select a construction contractor and an expert-supervision provider, followed by the start of building work. “Immediately after those conditions are met, a public call will be issued,” the ministry said. The final construction cost will be known after the contractor-selection process.
Statements on funding in Montenegro’s 2026 budget differ. The proposed budget included 10,000 euros for the bridge, while the ministry said the government had secured project funding in the 2026 Capital Budget and that sufficient funds would be provided in the budget for the following year to allow implementation to proceed without interruption.
Equal shares and project scope
The agreement provides for Montenegro and Albania to finance equal shares of the total investment, including construction, expert supervision and related activities. Each country is responsible for 50% of the investment. Dritan Abazović, Montenegro’s prime minister at the time, previously put the construction cost at 20 million euros in total, or 10 million euros for each country.
The planned bridge will be about 300 meters long and 17 meters wide, spanning the Bojana, also known as the Buna, between the two countries. It would cut the distance between Ulcinj and Velipoje from 73 kilometers to about one kilometer.
The ministry described the bridge as a new development link between the countries, contributing to transport connections, tourism and economic cooperation. Montenegro and Albania have formed the committee and agencies needed to coordinate and implement the project, establishing the institutional framework for the work.
Albania’s Development Fund prepared and financed the project documentation, and Montenegro approved the design solutions. The ministry said both governments were committed to the project and that there was clear political will to build the bridge.
The Parliament of Montenegro adopted a law ratifying the agreement between the Government of Montenegro and the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Albania in March 2024. The project was announced in mid-2022 by Abazović and Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama during a bilateral meeting at the Open Balkan summit in Skopje. The construction tender remains dependent on agreement, adoption and signature of the implementation protocol.
