Città Metropolitana di Bari launches Albania food market project and legal partnership initiative

The Città Metropolitana di Bari presented the cross‑border project “Politiche locali del cibo in Albania”, financed by Italian Cooperation with a budget of about €1.63 million for a 36‑month programme. The initiative will involve roughly 100 small producers, create five new cooperatives, build a farmers’ market and a Food Waste Hub in Tirana, and support around 1,000 vulnerable citizens. Partners include CIHEAM Bari, World Farmers Markets Coalition, Fondazione Banco Alimentare, the Municipality of Tirana, the Tirana Market Agency and Food Bank Albania. Officials such as Mayor Vito Leccese, Metropolitan Councillor Antonio Stragapede, Raffaele Nicola Vitto, scientific director Damiano Petruzzella and Tirana’s General Director Genci Kojdheli highlighted the project’s aim to shorten supply chains and reduce food waste.

In a separate event, the metropolitan city signed a Protocol d’intesa called “Accordi di Legalità” together with Libera, Avviso Pubblico and Arci Bari‑BAT. The agreement, funded with €100 000, creates a stable network across the 41 municipalities of the metropolitan area to promote a culture of legality, administrative transparency and crime prevention, with a particular focus on youth. The signing was led by Mayor Vito Leccese and attended by Dea Saulle, Michele Naglieri, Raffaele Nicola Vitto, Gianluca Vurcio, Angelo Cassa and Francesco Augelli.