After years of waiting, the contract to finance the second section of the Skopje - Blace highway has finally been signed. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is providing a 192-million-euro loan, to which is added another 30 million euros in grant funding through the WBIF instrument - around 222 million euros in total for the project.

The highway is part of Corridor 6, which is meant to connect Skopje and Pristina, and it has been named in campaign promises for years before every election. The contract was signed by Finance Minister Fatmir Besimi, EBRD representatives and the directors of the Public Enterprise for State Roads and ESM, while the ministers of economy and transport and the EU ambassador also attended the signing.

Besides the road, the same financial package also covers the construction of solar power plants in Oslomej and Bitola - meaning one signature covers both transport and energy infrastructure at once. Besimi stressed that the project is „exceptionally important for economic connectivity with Kosovo,“ which on paper sounds solid.

And here comes the Balkan reflex of caution. A signed contract is not the same as a finished road - in these parts we know all too well how many „started“ highways have stood for decades as unfinished ramps between two fields. 222 million euros is serious money; the question is whether we'll get a highway out of it within a reasonable time, or another story in which the deadlines move faster than the machines. We'll be watching.