School of Political Studies of the Council of Europe to be opened soon in Albania

TIRANA, Jan. 15 – The Council of Europe will soon open a School of Political Studies in Albania, the institution reported. Following a consultation with local partners in Albania, the foundation meeting for an Albanian School of Political Studies took place at the Information office of the Council of Europe in Tirana, with the participation of distinguished scholars, civil society representatives, media etc. Since 1992 the Council of Europe is developing an important network of Schools of Political Studies aiming at training the new generation of leaders in 15 countries from Central and South East Europe, South Caucasus and Russia. With the School of Political Studies, the Council of Europe offers an instrument which can help young leaders in political, administrative, legal, economic, social and cultural sectors prepare for their duties. Through dialogue and interactive learning, the Schools not only deal with the whole scope of challenges to our societies, but also help to create links between new generations of leaders in their own countries as well as across borders.
In the following weeks, the Albanian School of Politics will follow the procedures for the selection of candidatures for participants. Seminars that shall be organized in 2007 shall concentrate on issues related to the political reality of Albania and the challenges faced by the country, with the participation of some well known experts from Albania and from other European countries. The Albanian School of Political Studies will be invited to attend the Summer University for Democracy in Strasbourg from 2 to 6 July together with some 600 participants from the network of Schools of Political Studies.