Albania needs 1.08 billion euros to recover from quake - study

Albania will need 1.08 billion euros ($1.19 billion) to rebuild dwellings for some 17,000 people made homeless by an earthquake, and also help tourism, agriculture and business recover, a study by Albania and international agencies said on Wednesday.

The European Union's office in Tirana said the Albanian government, United Nations, World Bank, and European Union assessed "the total effects of the disaster in the 11 affected municipalities amount to over 980 million euros". "Sectors reflecting the greatest needs are housing, representing almost 76% of all needs, followed by education and infrastructure," the EU office said in a statement.

Albania was struck by a 6.4 magnitude earthquake on Nov. 26 that killed 51 people The European Commission will host a donor conference in Brussels on Feb. 17 to mobilize help for Albania, one of Europe's poorest countries seeking to join the affluent bloc. The needs assessment study will help donors pick projects.