On 10 September 2026, ERA welcomed a delegation from Albania’s Centralised Purchasing Operator (CPO), represented by its CEO, Mr Jonaid Myzyri, and Ms Edona Daçi, Director of the Support Services Directorate, for an exchange on professional training and capacity-building in European public procurement law in Trier.
During their visit, Mr Myzyri and Ms Daçi also gained first-hand impressions of ERA’s Summer Course on European Public Procurement Law and attended key presentations from the programme alongside legal professionals from Albania and across Europe.
The delegation met with Viktor Vadász, ERA’s Director of Programmes and Deputy Director, Mareike Thöne, Head of Marketing, Sales and Corporate Communications, and Allison Clozel, Course Director in Business Law.
The meeting provided an opportunity for both organisations to present their respective activities and priorities and to identify the CPO’s evolving training requirements. Particular attention was given to strengthening the expertise of procurement professionals in Albania in the context of the country’s European integration process and ongoing developments in public procurement.
Discussions also reflected the CPO’s strong focus and growing expertise in digitalisation, including the development of artificial intelligence infrastructure for procurement procedures, as well as Albania’s closer integration with the European procurement market. These areas are becoming increasingly relevant to the work of Albanian procurement professionals and underline the importance of specialised professional training.
As a concrete outcome of the meeting, ERA and the CPO signed an agreement to work together on an assessment of the professional development and training needs of the CPO’s procurement experts. Drawing on ERA’s expertise in European law and professional training, the assessment will help identify priority areas for capacity-building and inform the CPO’s approach to future training.
The two organisations also expressed their intention to explore opportunities for ERA to provide further professional training in European public procurement law and related areas, including defence and security procurement, State aid and competition law. Potential future training activities may include both face-to-face and online formats, based on the needs identified through the assessment.
The meeting marked a promising start to cooperation between ERA and the CPO, with a clear focus on supporting the continued professional development of procurement experts and the alignment of procurement practice with European standards, while also providing opportunities for exchange on innovation and digital transformation in public procurement.
