In an electrified arena by music and young people, the Mayor of Klaipeda, the third largest city in Lithuania, Vytautas Grubliauskas, symbolically handed over to Tirana Mayor Erion Veliaj the key symbolizing taking office.

“It is a very special moment for me to hand over the key to the Mayor of Tirana today. We must support Tirana Mayor. Albania and Tirana are places we will be proud of and we will say: -Yes, we were the European youth capital before this wonderful capital. Now this symbol of faith is in your hands,” Grubliauskas said in his remarks at the ceremony.

As the European Youth Capital for 2022, Tirana has designed an ambitious program aimed at addressing the needs of its entire young people and trying to connect the city and its youth with European values.

Mayor Erion Veliaj described this moment as a fantastic opportunity for Tirana.

“We have officially received the relay from Klaipeda, Lithuania, which was the European Youth Capital for 2021. So we will take advantage of the last days of December to plan a calendar that projects more than 1000 events for the whole next year. More than 1000 activities where we want young people to interact with each other in many fields, from sports, art, culture, youth entrepreneurship, environmental activists. It is a fantastic day and an incredible opportunity for Tirana, also as a postcard of what modern Albania is today and what it can become tomorrow,” Veliaj said.

The Mayor stressed that during 2022, not only young people from Tirana will be supported and promoted, but also those from other Albanian-speaking territories.

“We also want to take advantage of this fantastic opportunity to promote Albanian youth beyond Tirana, Albanian youth everywhere in Albania, Albanian youth everywhere in Kosovo, in the Presevo Valley, in Western Macedonia, in the south of Montenegro, because we see it as a platform where we can show our capabilities,” Mayor Veliaj said.

Tirana has been awarded the ‘European Youth Capital 2022’ title by the European Youth Forum in Amiens, France in 2019, as an effort successfully finalized by civil society organizations, under the leadership of the National Youth Congress and with the support of the Municipality of Tirana.

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