Tirana hosted today the Regional Conference “Accelerating Childcare Reforms Towards European Union Membership,” with the participation of representatives from Western Balkan countries – Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, and Kosovo – serving as an important platform for strengthening social policies and child protection across the region.

The conference was also addressed by Prime Minister Edi Rama, who emphasized:

“This regional initiative, this moment of interaction with structures and their representatives – both institutional and from civil society across the region – is extremely important for sharing experiences, identifying best practices, and adapting by drawing from each other’s most positive examples.”

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I warmly welcome all those who have traveled from other countries in the region to attend this conference, and I am very pleased that such an important event, focused on the European Child Guarantee, is being held here in Tirana.

The European Child Guarantee is an initiative of the European Union that, on its own, I believe is enough to meaningfully answer the question: Why do we need the European Union?
Just a look at the contents of this Child Guarantee program is enough to grasp the depth of the benefits of being part of the European family and to truly understand the spirit of solidarity that this family embodies.

Through the European Child Guarantee, the European Union aims to ensure and prioritize children’s rights in everyday life, and at the same time, through this program, to expand every path and multiply all opportunities so that each child is given a chance — and that every child has a possible perspective of equality, regardless of their different starting points.

One of our key goals is to achieve a significant leap — both quantitatively and qualitatively — not only in terms of financing but also in terms of organization and cooperation with other partners. A particular focus is the situation of the 16,000 children with disabilities, who are beneficiaries of new support schemes, but who, I believe, in this phase and under conditions of growing economic and financial capacity, deserve increased support from our side.

Thank you very much.