Bienvenue près de ERA – Académie de Droit Européen

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At the annual meeting of the Academy of European Law’s Governing Board in Trier, Deputy Minister Klajd Karameta, representing the Albanian Minister of Justice Ulsi Manja, together with Hendrik Hering, President of the Parliament of Rhineland-Palatinate and Vice-President of the ERA Governing Board, and Academy Director Jean-Philippe Rageade signed the accession agreement.

Albania is the first country in the Western Balkans to join the Academy. Supporting legal and judicial professionals in the countries of the Western Balkans in preparing for their future membership of the European Union is one of the pillars of ERA's development strategy for the period 2021-2027. To achieve this goal, the Academy has been working intensively on this issue and has organised several training activities for and in this region.

Ulsi Manja, Minister of Justice of Albania, who was unfortunately unable to attend the ceremony, said in a statement: "Albania, through the Ministry of Justice, has from today taken an important step towards European integration in the field of law enforcement by becoming a full member of ERA. By joining ERA, the Ministry of Justice has created a suitable environment for training and exchange of experience within the framework of ERA. This cooperation will bring better legal harmonisation with EU standards, professional capacity building, closer international cooperation, better preparation for EU membership and increase of legal expertise for the law enforcement community in Albania.  I would like to thank all EU Member States in the ERA Foundation, the Governing Board and the President of the Governing Board, Mr. Jean-Claude Juncker, former Prime Minister of Luxembourg and former President of the European Commission, for their support and engagement in such an important journey of Albania, regarding the improvement of our legal system".
 
Deputy Minister Karameta signed in his place. He also thanked the Board and expressed his confidence: "Membership in the ERA will help many judges and prosecutors as well as employees of our institutions, especially the Ministry of Justice, to broaden and deepen their knowledge of European law in order to be well positioned when our country is ready to join the European Union."

Hendrik Hering thanked the Republic of Albania for supporting the ERA. "In this way, we are also making a contribution to preparing the country for EU accession."  

Albanian civil servants and members of the judiciary now receive a special discount for attending ERA events. As an ERA Patron, Albania will also have a vote on the Governing Board.