Flash News
SPAK seizes the assets of two partners of Evis Berber
Goro in prison, Blerina Balaj is appointed mayor of Himara Municipality
Tensions at the Himara City Council meeting, citizens demand the removal of Klos and Tavo
Olsi, just like Edi, is a man...
Under investigation for drug trafficking, SPAK seizes the assets of Princ Dobroshi and Olsi Syzi
European College with a branch in Tirana, POLITICO: EU move to increase power in the Balkans
The Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement, Oliver Varhelyi, announced yesterday from Tirana the opening of a new campus in the capital, the College of Europe, which will serve as a training ground for aspiring Eurocrats.
According to POLITICO , the latest move announced by the EU to open the European College is seen by experts as a move by the union to increase its power in a key geopolitical region such as the Western Balkans.
"The new campus will be funded by the Commission and applications for students will open in September 2023. The only thing we need now is a building, a beautiful place for the college ," said Varhelyi.
Prime Minister Edi Rama hailed the news as a "great gift" and something "extremely important and significant for us" at a joint press conference in Tirana with EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and Várhelyi.
Albania is a candidate country for the EU and is in the process of aligning with EU rules and carrying out reforms to meet the bloc's membership criteria.
The symbolic meaning of Tirana's move was not lost on Várhelyi, who described it as a "clear signal that Albania's acceptance is close".
In a written statement to POLITICO, College of Europe Rector – and former EU foreign policy chief – Federica Mogherini welcomed the Commission's announced intention to fund a new College of Europe campus in Tirana.
"We are starting the preliminary work to present a detailed proposal ," she said.
The presidents of the European Commission and European Council – Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel – supported Albania's calls to set up a new campus during a summit of EU leaders in Tirana last December.
The university is the most represented among EU civil servants, according to a POLITICO ranking, and its alumni include current Commissioner Margaritīs Schinas as well as the former prime ministers of Denmark and Finland, Helle Thorning-Schmidt and Alexander Stubb.
The university is partly funded by the EU and other national governments, according to its records.