ICPE - Republic of Albania Meeting during the BSF (Bled, Slovenia, 1-2 September 2014)

Within the framework of the Bled Strategic Forum organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia in Bled, Slovenia, between 1-2 September 2014, on 1 September 2014 ICPE held talks with the representatives of the Government of the Republic of Albania.
The Albanian delegation was headed by Ms. Eglantina Gjermeni, Minister of Urban Development and Tourism of the Republic of Albania. H.E. Pëllumb Qazimi, Ambassador of the Republic of Albania to Slovenia also attended the meeting. The ICPE delegation was headed by the ICPE Acting Director General Mr. Janez Podobnik. 

Janez Podobnik presented the Albanian delegation ICPE's main activities - long-term education program, short-term trainings, conferences, symposia and expert meetings particularly in the field of e-governance, energy efficiency, tourism, public-private partnership. Janez Podobnik stressed that the Republic of Albania could cooperate with ICPE in the fields of tourism, energy efficiency, public-private partnership (PPP), good governance. 

Ms. Eglantina Gjermeni expressed the readiness of the Republic of Albania to cooperate with ICPE particularly in the field of capacity-building and strengthening the capacity of enterprises. Additionally Minister Gjermeni mentioned the possibility to organize regional events jointly organized by the Republic of Albania and ICPE. Ms. Gjermeni also focused on the current changes in the field of PPP legislation currently under revision and the role of the private sector in the drafting of the new legislation. The Albanian delegation equally showed a high interest in collaborating with ICPE in the area of energy efficiency and good-practices exchange. 

(From left) Mr. Janez Podobnik, ICPE Acting Director General, Ms. Eglantina Gjermeni, Minister of Urban Development and Tourism of the Republic of Albania and H.E. Pëllumb Qazimi, Ambassador of the Republic of Albania to Slovenia

The two parts agreed to meet to further discuss the concrete projects to be jointly implemented. Minister Gjermeni proposed to meet with the occasion of the International Conference on Managing Seasonality in Tourism organized by the Ministry of Urban Development and Tourism of Albania together with the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) on 20 October 2014.