Skopje, 18 February 2026 (MIA) — Minister of Environment and Physical Planning Muhamet Hoxha opened Wednesday a Corridor VIII ministerial meeting held in Tirana, bringing together delegations from North Macedonia, Albania, Bulgaria, Italy and Romania along with representatives of partner countries, the Ministry of Environment and Physical Planning said in a press release.

According to the release, the high-level meeting was aimed at deepening intergovernmental cooperation on speeding up the development of Corridor VIII as a strategic artery for transport, economic development and regional security, while strengthening integration and connectivity with the main European transport networks.

In his speech, Minister Hoxha said Corridor VIII was much more than an infrastructure project; he said it was a vision linking the Adriatic with the Black Sea and building new bridges of cooperation between the region's economies and nations.

"Corridor VIII is a transformative development axis with profound economic, geopolitical and environmental significance," Hoxha said.

He also said the development of Corridor VIII was an integral part of the EU accession agenda, increasing the country's competitiveness and strengthening connections with Europe's transport and energy networks.

The environment minister also noted that infrastructure development must align with environmental responsibility, respecting both biodiversity and protection standards.

The event gathered representatives of regional and European institutions as well as international financial institutions and the business community. It aimed to promote dialogue on facilitating trade and investments to boost regional competitiveness along Corridor VIII and turn it into a new engine of regional development and prosperity, the release said. mr/