The meeting focused on continuing cooperation under the EU-funded STEP-EU project, which aims to strengthen the Assembly’s legislative, oversight, and representative functions.

According to Kushi, this cooperation also seeks to enhance Parliamentary transparency, encourage civic participation and strengthen dialogue with civil society and the media.

The Deputy Speaker of the Assembly emphasized the importance of collaborating with international partners to share expertise and best practices, aiming to build a more efficient, transparent legislature and advance Albania’s EU integration.

/e.xh/j.p/p.s./

In his speech at the summit of the European political community, Macron emphasized that, “It is time, as Edi suggested, to establish a secretariat to coordinate these activities within the EPC and perhaps to have or include the presence of the European Council; and this would be useful”.

Macron also spoke about economic security, emphasizing that, “So far, we have not understood properly that we represent 700 million inhabitants, much more than the USA, much more coherent, if you look at the average level; it is even more influential than the Chinese market. We need to promote cooperation and work on this by removing trade barriers so that this great Europe of ours is more united economically and from a trade point of view. This is what we are doing when we say this is also part of the discussions between the EU and the United Kingdom”.

“More needs to be done on regional integration, which should be another issue discussed, as well as EU enlargement,” Macron said.

We, Macron continued, will coordinate to combat all threats coming from outside, everything that could lead to unfair competition. /k.s/p.s./

In a post on the social media on Tuesday, MP Tabaku underlined that Albania has significantly contributed to peace, tolerance (not only religious one) and harmony.

Tabaku noted that Albania is experiencing “a series of troubles and problems caused a toxic political culture,” but the country has always had a “passport of religious harmony.”

“Fortunately, the harmony between religions in Albania has been so consolidated that not a single Jew was sent to concentration camps during the World War II. In the meantime, respect for this community has been deeply rooted in our tradition,” she stated.

“Albania has suffered a lot, but thankfully never from deep and polarizing religious divisions,” Tabaku added.

Referring to PM Rama’s interview with The New York Times, the opposition MP said that the project “came as a recipe for chaos as the country has been plunged into a spiral of deep economic and social crisis.”

“At a time when Albanians call for real solutions to poverty and youth mass exodus, the government should rather focus on ways to improve economy and relieve social crisis instead of illusive projects that have nothing to do with the country’s real needs,” she stated, adding that “the country’s religious, ethnic and racial harmony should not be undermined by anyone’s megalomaniacal dreams.”

/u.sh/

Minister of Economy and Finance Anila Denaj said that, “An idea can be turned into a successful business and this can be your opportunity”.

According to her, during the period 2018-2020 there are submitted 3700 applications.

The IDEA project, which is also supported by the Ministry of Finance and Economy, in the framework of Albanian-German cooperation has opened applications for 2021.

All interested persons who have a business, of not more than 3 years, or a business idea are invited to apply until July 31st.

The IDEA project is part of the 2-year ProSEED program, which is a cooperation between the Albanian and German governments, the objective of which is to bring sustainable economic and regional development, to promote employment, education and vocational training in Albania, by given impetus to the employment of skilled labor and self-employment, especially for skilled youth, in the Albanian labor market.

Regarding the application criteria and other details about the project, the Investment Development Agency (AIDA) has released the regulation, the business plan model that must be submitted by entrepreneurs, the self-declaration form and the application form./a.a/r.e/p.s./