Second EU – Albania Horizon Europe Joint Committee meeting

The second meeting of the EU-Albania Joint Research and Innovation Committee under the Association Agreement to Horizon Europe took place in Brussels on 22 June 2023, under the co-chairmanship of Ms. Ruta Zarnauskaite, Head of Unit of the Horizon Europe Association Unit, European Commission’s Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, and Ms. Albana Tole, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Education and Sports, Albania. Ms. Anne Haglund-Morrissey, Deputy Head of Unit, took over the co-chairing on the EU side after the first agenda points.  

The meeting was hosted by the EC, DG Research and Innovation. The EC co-chair welcomed the EU and Albanian representatives, highlighted the very good results of Albania so far in Horizon Europe and welcomed Albania’s ongoing national efforts and reforms in research and innovation and commitment to support the performance of its entities and researchers in the new programme.

Albania’s association to Horizon Europe was highlighted as an important milestone in the EU-Albania cooperation in the field of research and innovation and as a crucial building block towards its closer European integration.

Key points addressed included the adoption and signature of the Rules of Procedures for the Joint Committee and an in-depth exchange on subjects pertinent to the association of Albania to Horizon Europe such as strengthening and further its integration into the new ERA, implementation of the reciprocity principle, as well as how to increase participation of Albanian entities in Horizon Europe.

The Albanian co-chair stressed that Horizon Europe and Albania’s participation in the programme are very important for the country’s research and innovation ecosystem, as well as for its scientific and technological development and the economy, opening up opportunities for Albanian researchers and innovators in European markets. The next Joint Committee meeting will take place in Albania in 2024.

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International cooperation with Albania