Opening of the Albanian School of Political Studies

On 9 May, the 14th School of Political Studies of the Council of Europe was inaugurated in Tirana. The Albanian School of Political Studies, established under the auspices of the Council of Europe, with the support of the European Commission, aims to develop and foster a modern political culture based on the shared values of pluralism, tolerance and open dialogue, thus encouraging the emergence of a community of young political and civic leaders, dedicated to implement a contemporary democratic model of government.

The opening ceremony took place at the Parliament’s offices and gathered representatives of the Albanian authorities, the Albanian national delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, diplomatic corps, political parties, parliamentarians, NGOs and the media. Ambassador Pavel Vacek, Head of the OSCE Presence in Albania, and Ambassador Helmuth Lohan, Head of Delegation of the European Commission in Albania, participated in this event.

The first seminar on “Democratic Policies” of the Albanian School of Political Studies is taking place from 10 to 12 May at the Tirana International Hotel.

This introductory course aims to cover democratic values and principles, democracy from the state point of view and democracy at local level. Participants in this course will be able to reflect and share their democratic knowledge and experiences. The course will enrich the participants’ knowledge through comparative analyses and experiences from other countries.

Thirty participants, selected for this first year of activities among young leaders from all sectors of public life, will participate in the second Summer University for Democracy to be held in Strasbourg from 2 to 6 July 2007.