EU Delegation to Albania awards EMJMD Scholarships to 19 Albanian students
Today the EU Delegation to Albania awarded the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degrees (EMJMD) Scholarships to 19 Albanian students. Thanks to the EMJMD scholarships, fully funded by the EU, they will follow their master’s degree studies in different European countries.
A special pre-departure ceremony was organized to mark the beginning of the journey for 19 EMJMD students. The event took place in the premises of Europe House Tirana, in the presence of EU Member States Ambassadors of France, Spain and Greece, EU Charges d’Affaires Alexis Hupin, Albanian Minister of Education Evi Kushi, EMJMD alumni, and representatives from Austria and Italy. EU CdA Alexis Hupin congratulated the students for their important achievement and reiterated the EU support for Albanian youth empowerment. According to Hupin, students should consider the programme as a unique opportunity for personal development and concrete proof of the EU investment in a better future for their country. “Beyond the accession, with the Intergovernmental Conference and the screening process, which sometimes seems distant, these scholarships are very concrete EU deliverables. The tickets are coming, and you are going to study in the EU,” declared Hupin.
During her opening remarks, Minister Evi Kushi congratulated the students for receiving the scholarships. She considered EMJMD an excellent programme that provides students with the chance to study and live in two or more prestigious European universities. Kushi also appealed to students to return to Albania as soon as they finish their studies and to implement experiences gained in the EU Member States. “Your contribution can be many times greater than the contribution of students who went to study abroad during the past years. [After the First IGC] this is an important moment for you and all of us. Therefore, we invite you to study in the EU countries and get positive experiences there, but at the end of your studies to return because the country needs you”, said Kushi.
The event also included an open panel, where Erasmus alumni and the EMJMD Scholarship winners shared their previous experiences and expectations about the upcoming program with EU representatives from Austria, Greece, Italy, Spain, and France. To honour their achievement, during the ceremony EU CdA Alexis Hupin, together with Minister Kushi and EU representatives, handed over to each of the awardees a special certificate.
The 19 EMJMD scholarship winners were selected among dozens of other Albanian students as the most excellent candidates. Thanks to the programme, they will undertake master’s degrees in at least two EU Member States for up to two years and would obtain joint or multiple degrees. In the meantime, the EU-funded scholarships will cover the costs of students’ participation in the programme, their travel expenses, and a living allowance. Since 2014, the EU awarded the EMJMD Scholarship to 117 Albanian students.
Background
As one of the most prestigious scholarships in the world, EMJMD Scholarship is an instrument offered by Erasmus+. The latter is the main EU programme for education, training, youth, and sport in Europe. This year the Erasmus+ programme celebrates its 35th anniversary. To mark its success, on 1 July the new Erasmus+ 2-euro coin entered circulation in the Eurozone.
So far, Erasmus+ has provided mobility grants for almost 9 thousand students, researchers, academic and administrative staff from Albania. It has also enabled local universities to offer new joint master's degrees with their EU partners, and it allowed many young people from Albania to take part in exchanges, volunteering, or worker programmes. Globally, Erasmus+ is backed by the robust financial support of €26.2 billion and an additional €2.2 billion from the EU’s external instruments.