
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, was welcomed with an official ceremony at the Prime Minister's Office by Prime Minister Edi Rama, starting her tour of the Western Balkans from Tirana.
The reception ceremony took place at the Prime Minister's Office, where von der Leyen and Rama participated in the official ceremony before the start of the meeting.
The visit to Tirana is the first stop on the European Commission President's tour, which will continue to Kosovo, Montenegro and North Macedonia.
Meanwhile, the ceremony at the Prime Minister's Office took place while a group of citizens had earlier started their daily protest on the boulevard, with the aim of making their voices heard during the presence of the head of the European Commission in Tirana.
According to the agenda published by the European Commission, von der Leyen will hold meetings with President Bajram Begaj and Prime Minister Edi Rama during her stay in Albania.
The focus of the visit is on the next steps on Albania's path towards the European Union and its gradual integration into the Union's structures. The process is also supported by the 6 billion euro Growth Plan for the Western Balkans.
Von der Leyen will also visit the "Emin Duraku" school in Tirana, rebuilt with EU funding after damage from the 2019 earthquake.
After Albania, the Commission President will travel to Kosovo on Thursday and then to Montenegro, while the tour will end in North Macedonia on Friday.