At the “Jacques Delors” Campus of the College of Europe in Tirana, first-year students enrolled in the master’s program for European transformation and integration gathered for[...]

Prime Minister Edi Rama and the President of the European Commission, Ursula Von der Leyen, participated in the event this afternoon, which took place at the college named after the prominent French politician and former President of the European Commission, Jacques Delors.

Rector Federica Mogherini highlighted the significant interest among young people in studying at this college. "Last year, we were here at the same location during the Western Balkans Summit, where we inaugurated our office and, importantly, opened applications for students to the College of Europe in Tirana. We received 241 applications, conducted 122 interviews, and selected 32 students from 21 nationalities, who today are the first pioneers promoting the Master of Arts in European transformation and integration here in Tirana, at the Jacques Delors Campus."

The opening of the College of Europe campus in Tirana represents another crucial step toward aligning with European standards. It elevates the challenge of internationalizing our universities and undoubtedly opens a new horizon for education for our youth.

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**Prime Minister Edi Rama:** I will try to avoid the lengthy speech prepared by my team, and I need to find where to start.

However, there is no doubt that the beginning is Ursula, and I want to express a deep, heartfelt thank you to her for having been an unwavering, beloved, and truthful friend to Albania and our region. Ursula, I want to guarantee you that this is a good investment because for our friends, we go beyond what seems possible, and we can even kill, so you are the safest European politician that exists.

On the other hand, I know that Federica knows that what I am saying is true. Federica started and worked hard to do what Ursula completed, which means bringing Albania to the table to start membership negotiations, and it wasn't long ago, but it was another Europe.

Today, we celebrate this extraordinary moment of meeting with the students and professors of the College of Europe face-to-face, just two years after this idea was proposed here in Tirana during the Summit between the EU and the Western Balkans. Achieving EU standards in just two years, from idea to realization, is quite an accomplishment.

Everything started from a conversation between me and President von der Leyen, and it is an example of what an extraordinary achievement it would be if Germans and Albanians are together in the European Union to accelerate many things together.

No one would have believed that this would happen in such a short time, but here we are. I don't believe in coincidences. For me, it's not a coincidence that the College opens its campus precisely at the moment when Albania has begun negotiations for membership, starting with the first cluster of the "Acquis," marking the beginning of the most challenging part of the process to become a member of EU.

This is another strong sign for me that the stars of Albania are aligned and that our path to membership is now unstoppable. There is no better time than now to have this cohort of students in Tirana, who will be well-trained for the EU and the Western Balkans and will serve the future of both.

I saw the videos of your colleague students, and frankly, I felt a bit sorry for them. Foggy with rain, Natolin covered in snow-look at this! And this is just the beginning; you haven't seen anything yet.

Thirty-one students from 22 different nationalities have this extraordinary blessing to come together in a European nest located in the shiniest part of the Western Balkans. It's truly something to live every moment of and to absorb everything, not just parts of it. And while I could mention many things, take in everything-not only to gain more knowledge about the EU, about law, about EU legislation, or about the EU's foreign service, but also to know about the spirit, the culture, the tradition, and the history of this region. Because sooner rather than later, you will be very much needed; the people in Brussels need to know more about what lies within, and who better than you to share this?

In fact, there are things that people in the Western Balkans find difficult to explain to our western European friends. From my experience, Europe and the European Union are often accompanied by pain and screams, but there is no better place. When I was back in Luxembourg last week, a journalist asked me if we had a Plan B. If Europe and the EU were to revert to old ways, could there be a Plan B against the EU? I don't believe that having a Plan B against the EU means having a Plan B against individual freedom. It means having a Plan B against the rule of law; it means having a Plan B against functional democracy. If you're ready to negotiate on that, then you might have a Plan B, a Plan C, a Plan D. But I believe that this A, B, C, which makes the EU the most incredible project that political thought has ever imagined and dared to create, is non-negotiable. There is no other way, no other place where you can be sure for yourself, for your children, and for your grandchildren, where they will have these three fundamental things: individual freedom, the rule of law, and functional democracy.

And I know that sometimes democracy looks like it's not functioning well, but for that reason, going against the EU, envisioning and forecasting a future outside the EU, is simply nonsense.

So, I wish you all the success you seek. I assure you that Albania eagerly awaits to bring you joy outside the classrooms, because inside the classrooms, Albania is not present-it's the EU. The classes, the lessons may be more boring, while outside it will be less so, but the combination is the best because it's the EU, and that will stay with you. Everything that makes you angry, makes you uncertain, or disappoints you regarding the EU should serve not to fight or join battles against the EU, but to work toward having a better EU.

Thank you!

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