On 23 September in Tirana, the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the CEI-Executive Secretariat (CEI-ES) presented the latest activities and results of the CEI Fund at the EBRD, with a particular focus on its operations and impact in Albania.
The event featured keynote addresses by Olta Manjani, Deputy Minister of Economy and Innovation of the Government of the Republic of Albania, Marco Alberti, Ambassador of Italy to Albania, as well as Hannes Takacs, Head of EBRD in Albania. It brought together representatives of Albanian institutions, the business community and a range of other stakeholders.
The meeting provided an opportunity to present the role of the CEI Fund at the EBRD and the funding facilities available through its two main instruments: the Technical Cooperation (TC) Programme and the Know-how Exchange Programme (KEP). Participants also discussed concrete examples of CEI–EBRD cooperation in Albania, including projects supported in areas such as business and institutional development.
The Tirana event is part of a broader roadshow across CEI Member States, jointly organised by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the EBRD and the CEI-ES. The initiative aims to showcase the results and impact of projects supported through the CEI Fund at the EBRD, while raising awareness of the opportunities available to institutions, businesses and other stakeholders in CEI Member States.
The roadshow underlines Italy’s sustained commitment to supporting the European integration of CEI Member States which are EU candidates through the CEI Fund at the EBRD, the Organisation’s main operational instrument and entirely financed by Italy. The Tirana meeting reaffirmed the shared commitment by the organisers and their partners to strengthening regional cooperation, supporting sustainable development and contributing to Albania’s European path.
The event featured remarks by Ambassador Marco Alberti that stated “This gathering gives us an opportunity to reflect on the strong and multifaceted partnership between Italy and Albania, through a concrete example of how our shared commitment can be translated into practical cooperation”.
The event concluded with remarks by Alfredo Durante Mangoni, CEI National Coordinator at the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation that stated, “In Albania, Italy through the CEI Fund has delivered concrete impact in different areas by leveraging business advisory and technical consultancy in support of grate scale investments by the EBRD and its international partners".
The previous stop of the roadshow took place in Moldova on 22 September and will continue in Serbia on 24 September.
Albania joined the EBRD in 1991 and the CEI in 1996. Since then, the CEI Fund at the EBRD has committed almost EUR 15 million to 126 projects in Albania, supporting cooperation and the transfer of expertise across a range of sectors.
For more info: dovier@cei.int
