Projects

AIEN is part of the Albanian consortium lead by Union of Chambers of Commerce & Industry of Albania, implementing the Project “Establishing a Blue Growth S3 Platform and Blue Cluster Covering Adriatic-Ionian Region” in framework of Interreg IPA CBC Italy-Albania-Montenegro Programme 2014/2020

Jean Monnet “Policy Debate with academic world”, supported by Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency, European Commission. This project, in framework of Erasmus + Programme, aims at fostering the dialogue between the academic world and policy-makers, in particular with the aim of enhancing governance of EU policies and preparation of Albania EU Negotiation Process. Series of 12 Workshops, tackling specific Albania-EU Accession Chapters, each lasting 2 days, divided in 6 sessions and will focus on the main EU related issues in Albania and the region. The participants will get acquainted with and informed on topics and EU Chapters considered as priorities for our country such as: The Four Freedoms of the European Union: Free Movement of good and services; Access to labour market and free movement of workers; Enforcement of human rights in Albania and Europe; Targeting energy efficiency challenge in sustainable development of the country; Education, training and youth initiatives; Environmental concerns in Albania and in reaching EU standards.

AIEN aims to offer a platform serving as an effective forum & workshops in feeding the cooperation and interaction between a wide range of participants and developing a comprehensive knowledge and collaborative perspectives on European matters among different target groups in Albania.

The Academy will provide a bridge of communication between different stakeholders in Albanian society, by enhancing their knowledge and skills in a common gathering and most important in tackling challenges together. An added value of the Academy is the inclusion of experts, lectures of non-local speakers from EU, and South East Europe in order to share lessons learned, best experiences and provide a comparative approach. This heterogeneous group that will result in a Network of Professionals on EU enriches the spirit of Workshops and it is an important asset for getting diverse perspectives in debates and occurring dialogues. The Network and Online Database offers the chance to increase, expand contacts and establish future cooperation. The main target groups are representatives from CSOs, academia, public administration, media, business community and young activists.

This project is implemented by the Academy for European Integration and Negotiations, in collaboration with Partners Albania for Change and Development and supported by General Directorate for Financing and Contracting of EU, World Bank and Other Donor Funds Central Finance and Contracting Unit, Ministry of Finance and Economy, Albania. The timeframe for implementation of the project is October 2019 – April 2021.

This project was funded by Swedish Institute and implemented on April 2019-October 2019 in Partnership with European Policy Center, Serbia; Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, Montengro; European University, North Macedonia.

The main goal of the project was to inform and raise the capacities of representatives of public administration and civil society (NGO, Business, media) about the state of play of EU Integration in Western Balkan; the established negotiation structures and best cases from the region referring to non-governmental actors’ participation and collaboration in the process.

Another important goal was to document and present good examples in increasing non-governmental actors’ engagement and participation in EU accession processes. And to share the Swedish experience on how to establish better cooperation and partnerships among different actors in society through joint initiatives.

During the project a Research Paper was publication on established negotiation structures and best cases from the region referring to non-governmental actors’ participation and collaboration in the process. (4 researchers from WB). Also, it was organised a Regional Forum in Tirana with swedish experts and around 50 participants from Western Balkan, presenting good examples and ideas in increasing non-governmental actors’ engagement and participation in EU accession processes. Invited Swedish Experts.

Albanian NGO Academy of European Integration and Negotiations in collaboration with Montenego NGO, Martin Schneider-Jacoby Association (MSJA), Institute for Development Policy - INDEP with headquarter in Kosovo and with the support of Western Balkan Founds (WBF) implemented “Youth awareness on pressing climate change and sustainability issues in framework of EU accession” project. This project aimed to increase knowledge of young people in Western Balkans region about climate change risks and environmental issues that can affect the daily lifestyle. During the project a stimulate debate was part of the programs which triggered critical thinking of young people about the climate change issues and upcoming environmental challenges. 30 young people from partnering countries (Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro) had the opportunity to exchanged knowledge on the performance and challenges of the state institutions, regional structures, regarding EU standards in environment field. The project intended to identify how young people perceive climate change and how it impacts in their home, their country and their region. This was achieved throw a questionnaire and an informative booklet “Perceptions of young people from Albania, Kosova and Montenegro on climate change” was published based on their recommendation. The participants participated in a workshop and a competition considering the discussed topic.

The project was implemented by the Academy for European Integration and Negotiations, in collaboration with EUROPEUM Institute for European Policy in Prague, Slovak Foreign Policy Association, European Movement Albania, Wise Europa and other regional partners, and supported by Visegrad Fund.

A discussion panel was organised to introduce the paper: “From Warsaw to Tirana: Overcoming the past together. Good practices and lessons learned from the Visegrad 4 and Western Balkans” in order to promote and encourage a regional approach to enhance a sustainable reconciliation process in the Western Balkans, as well as to support a broader stakeholder participation for a wider societal consensus.

Another closed workshop with experts of the field from several local and regional organizations, discussed on the Reconciliation processes in Visegrad Countries: Overcoming Divisions and Lessons Learned, and aimed to demonstrate that promoting reconciliation in the Western Balkans is achievable through a broader social consensus and deeper understanding and involvement of different stakeholders. Overall, reconciliation constitutes a stepping stone for the democratization of the Western Balkan countries besides its relevance in improving the socio-economic relations between the local societies

Jean Monnet “Policy Debate with academic world” (2016-2018), supported by Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency, European Commission. This project, in framework of Erasmus + Programme, aims at fostering the dialogue between the academic world and policy-makers, in particular with the aim of enhancing governance of EU policies and preparation of Albania EU Negotiation Process. A series of qualitative and well- structured EU Workshops Series, combining theoretical, practical and shared knowledge will address the most EU-related prominent issues in Albania and the region focused in EU accession chapters and priorities such as: public administration and judicial reform, the fight against organised crime and corruption, the protection of human rights and anti-discrimination policies, food safety reform, environmental challenges, etc. More information on AIEN you may find in its official webpage: www.aien.al