Prime Minister, dear Edi,

Dearest Federica,

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I remember very well last year, dear Edi, when you launched the wonderful idea of having a College of Europe right here in Tirana, the beautiful capital city of Albania. You were the one who came. And I remember when we spoke about it, your vision was immediately clear to me. What better way to prepare the future of Albania and the other Western Balkan partners in the European Union than to educate and train the next generation – the generation that will build our common future. So, we got to work – the Commission and your government and the College of Europe. We reached out to the College. Its fantastic Rector, Federica Mogherini, also immediately saw the vision, you heard her. And now, not even a year later, here we are, setting the foundations for the third College of Europe, right here in Tirana. So, we delivered. Indeed, tomorrow, we will open the office of the College.

But today, the focus is on those who will give life to the College: that is the students. Therefore, it was our distinct pleasure to launch the opening of the registration of students of the College of Europe in Tirana for the year 2024-2025. From this moment on – and we really have to cherish this moment – students here in Albania, from across the Western Balkans, from all corners of the European Union and beyond, can apply for a place at the third College of Europe.

This is fantastic. First and foremost, it is fantastic because adding a College of Europe in pursuit of higher education and excellence can only contribute to Albania’s and the region’s development and prosperity. But also, because the College of Europe will also reinforce all the efforts being made to bring Albania and the region into the European Union. You said it, it is the third College. The second that we have is in Natolin. It did exactly what you described for Poland and other candidate countries in preparing for EU accession. So this College of Europe will do the same for the Western Balkans, building a strong bridge into the European Union. The Commission has already deployed funds to support the establishment of the campus, and more will come.

You said 31 students will be able to take the first Master course, I am pleased to announce a financial package to support scholarships for students from the Western Balkans. Over the next three years, we will finance 15 of those scholarships. And I think we all know how important that is, because this will enable students, who might otherwise not be able to take part in these classes, to pursue their dreams, too. Today, we are working to prepare the next generation. Tomorrow, this next generation will work on our common project, the European Union.

Thank you very much.