On 17-19 September 2018 – the Leadership Academy Programme certified the first generation of 20 leaders at local level. This flagship programme of the Centre of Expertise for Local Government Reform of the Council of Europe was established in Albania in early 2018 in partnership with the Academy of Political Studies (APS), the Albanian School of Public Administration (ASPA) and generous support of the Swiss Government under the joint project “Strengthening Local Government Structures in Albania”.

The Leadership Academy Programme (LAP) course is an interactive learning and action programme for mayors, senior officials and elected representatives of local government. It aims to develop leadership for organisations, leadership for strategy and leadership for capacity building encapsulating the Council of Europe 12 Principles of Good Governance such as ethical conduct, rule of law, efficiency and effectiveness, transparency, sound financial management and accountability.

Divided into three stages, the programme supported the capacities of 7 local trainers and 20 elected representatives and senior staff of local authorities. It is certified by ASPA as a comprehensive training package on leadership curricula to be further utilized in cooperation with the APS.