Monday, May 08, 2017

The third national course of ASPS on “Albania and the trends of European integration” was held in Durres from 5-7 May 2017. The objective of this course was to provide the participants with substantial knowledge on the EU and the European integration process, in order to help them better understand Albania’s challenges in its path towards the EU.
The international security expert, Alexis Vahlas, political adviser to the French Joint Operations Command (CPOIA) and associate professor at University of Strasbourg, was invited to the course with the aim to address the new threats and challenges of the European Union: Islamic radicalization, Russian influence, and waves of immigration from North Africa.. The discussion with the participants offered a clearer picture of the EU's internal problems as well as possible measures to cope with these new threats, which have contributed to the raise of populist and isolationist movements within EU.

Mr. Gentian Elezi, director of the Agenda Institute and former Minister of Integration, presented Albania's current path towards the EU and the pre-accession mechanism. This module introduced not only the technical integration process, highlighting the need for a professional administration, but also analyzing political engagement and some relevant recommendations on the necessary approach to the expected opening phase of the negotiations.

The presentation of the rural development expert, Mr. Ismail Beka, focused on the need for a new model of agriculture development and food security in order to compete with products from the EU and assist the sustainable development of the economy.

This course was held on the eve of Europe Week, which is celebrated in Albania with a variety of other promotional and inclusive activities.