GÉANT: EU endorses digital infrastructure and subsea cable initiatives in the Western Balkans

At the EU-Western Balkans Investment Forum taking place in Tirana this week, the European Commission, GÉANT, and 4iG Group signed a joint declaration confirming their shared commitment to advancing secure, high-capacity digital infrastructure and strengthening EU connectivity across the Western Balkans region.

In the declaration, the EU partners expressed their continued support for the EAGLE (Egypt-Albania Gateway Link to Europe) submarine data cable investment connecting Albania and Egypt, along with the development of the associated and newly announced regional terrestrial digital backbone. Taken together, these two investments will establish a new digital corridor linking the Western Balkans with Europe’s main data hubs, ensuring secure, high-capacity, and low-latency connectivity.

The European Commission’s Directorate-General for Enlargement and Eastern Neighbourhood (DG ENEST) welcomed the EAGLE initiative as a flagship project, aligned with the objectives of the EU’s Digital Decade 2030, the Global Gateway Strategy, and the EU Western Balkans Growth Plan.

The planned terrestrial backbone network will enhance connectivity quality, reduce costs, strengthen research and education networks, and provide the foundation for innovation, the deployment of artificial intelligence applications, and growth of the startup ecosystem across the region. Implementation of the project will be fully consistent with the EU 5G Cybersecurity Toolbox, ensuring the security and resilience of digital networks in the Western Balkans.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s giving a speech at the opening ceremony of the EU-Western Balkans Investment Forum. Picture by 4iG Group.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen noted during her opening ceremony speech at the Forum: “We are setting up a network of AI Factories across Europe. And today, I can announce that we will open our AI Factories to the Western Balkans. We will start by setting up two Factory Antennas in North Macedonia and Serbia. And we are rolling out a high-speed digital backbone across the whole region. It will allow companies in all six Western Balkan countries to connect with these factories. This means that your companies will be able to access Europe’s AI infrastructure right here in the region.”

Ronan Byrne, GÉANT Board member and CEO of HEAnet: “The Western Balkans are at a pivotal juncture in their digital transformation journey. A growing foundation of research and education networks, emerging high-performance computing capacity, and a dynamic innovation ecosystem are positioning the region to play a vital role in Europe’s digital future. GÉANT welcomes and endorses the European Commission’s announcement and its intent to advance the Western Balkans Digital Backbone initiative — a crucial step toward a more resilient, inclusive, and enhanced connectivity across the region, allowing for a full integration into the pan-European GÉANT network.

EAGLE is a pioneering subsea and terrestrial connectivity system that will establish a new digital gateway linking Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and the African continent. Representing a strategic milestone in regional and intercontinental digital integration, the project is being jointly developed by 4iG Group and Telecom Egypt. The system will provide a high-capacity, low-latency data route across the Mediterranean Sea, entering Europe through Albania and Italy, and continuing via a new terrestrial optical backbone across the Western Balkans to reach major European data hubs, including Sofia, Vienna, and Frankfurt. The Western Balkans remains one of the least connected regions in Europe, with limited cross-border infrastructure. Through the EAGLE project, 4iG Group aims to unlock new opportunities for businesses, academia, and the public sector, supporting the EU’s objectives for digital inclusion and economic resilience.

“EAGLE is one of the most significant of these initiatives, bringing international data capacity closer to local markets and interconnecting data centres, cloud services, and the broader digital ecosystem across Africa, the Middle East, the Western Balkans, and the European Union. The support of the European Commission and GÉANT is a clear indication that these projects represent strategic investments for the European Union, while also strengthening the Western Balkans’ role in shaping the continent’s digital future.” – said Péter Fekete, CEO of 4iG Group.

The 2,000-kilometre subsea system is expected to become operational by 2028, providing route diversity and network redundancy to enhance resilience and reinforce Europe’s digital sovereignty.