The action supports the first academic year of the College of Europe campus in Tirana, Albania, marking the operational start of the institution’s activities in the Western Balkans. Following a 16-month preparatory phase, the project is now fully engaged in ensuring the smooth implementation of the first edition of the Master of Arts in European Transformation and Integration (ETI).

The action covers several key pillars: the recruitment and consolidation of the local administrative and academic teams; the takeover and management of the three main campus buildings, including the student residence; and the provision of daily services and academic support to the first cohort of students. It also includes the recruitment of the faculty and visiting professors, the delivery of the academic programme, and the organisation of conferences, study visits, and visibility events.

In parallel, the campus strengthens its institutional identity and visibility in Albania and across the region, building partnerships with EU institutions, national authorities, universities, and civil society actors. Through these activities, the action contributes directly to the College’s mission of training future European professionals and to the broader objective of fostering mutual understanding, integration, and cooperation between the European Union and the Western Balkans.

• To enhance academic excellence in EU Affairs in the Western Balkans through the implementation of a higher education master's programme in European Transformation and Integration.
• To promote Gender Balance, Diversity and Sustainability through the selection of Students of Excellence and the establishment of Networks of Experts on EU affairs.
• To foster Operational Excellence and Institutional Collaborations through ensuring operational Infrastructure and effective Institutional Networks.

• The ETI Master’s programme inaugurated, made operative and implemented.
• Academic excellence established (an academic programme fully revised and updated for the second academic year 2025-2026).
• The Alumni network of the Tirana campus established through the first gender-balanced and diverse cohort of graduated students from the CoET.
• The second gender-balanced and diverse cohort of students, as well as faculty, for the academic year 2025-2026 selected.
• The second gender-balanced and diverse faculty of the CoET for the 2025-2026 academic year selected.
• The action’s visibility and the number and quality of applications from diverse students for the 2025-2026 academic year increased.
• A temporary campus for the first academic years fully operative.
• Effective institutional networks at international, national, regional and local levels consolidated.