On 27 October in Tirana, the kick-off meeting for the "SA RESILIENCE" project took place, funded by the Interreg IPA South Adriatic programme. The Albanian National Civil Protection Agency (NCPA) is the project’s Lead Partner, supported by 5 project partners. They presented the initiative as a collective commitment towards crucial objectives within the Civil Protection System, offering a promising perspective.
The project partners are:
- NCPA (Leader Partner)
- Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management of the Puglia Region, Italy
- Puglia Waterworks Directorate, Italy
- Fourth Department of Civil Protection Services of Molise Region, Italy
- Department for Protection and Rescue in the Ministry of the Interior of Montenegro
- Regional Directorate of Water Supply on the Coast of Montenegro.
The meeting opened with a speech from Mr. Klajdi Nikolla, Director of International Cooperation and Projects at NCPA, welcoming all attendees and partners to the SA Resilience kick-off meeting.
Stakeholders from Albania included: IGEO-Institute for Geoscience, General Directorate of Fire Protection and Rescue in Ministry of Interior, Fier Prefecture, Divjake Municipality and Firefighter, Rrogozhine Municipality and Firefighter, Kavaja Municipality and Firefighter, Shkodra Firefighter, Malesia e Madhe Firefighters, AKUM National Agency for Water Management, AKP National Agency of Forests ,University representives, National Civil Protection experts from various directorats, etc.
Ms. Barbara Valenzano, Director of Civil Protection of the Puglia Region, highlighted the project's implementation importance and collaborative spirit with other partners during her speech. Greetings and congratulations for initiating this project were conveyed by Mr. Antonio Cardillo and Mr. Andrea Lecente from the Molise Region.
The partners then discussed the next steps and coordinated efforts aligned with project priorities centered around the RESILIENCE context.
Mr. Davide Marcianò, representative of the South Adriatic Joint Secretariat, evaluated the commitment of partner countries in this project, emphasizing its significance in fostering cooperation, joint achievements, and the responsibilities of each Partner to adhere to European perspectives and collaborative processes. He also highlighted the Lead Partner's additional responsibility in managing procedures and project implementation.
The session concluded with Mr. Klajdi Nikolla expressing gratitude and underlining the Lead Partner's responsibility within the Interreg IPA "SA Resilience" Project. Following the meeting, procedures will be initiated for drafting and signing contracts between the Programme Managing Authority, the LP-NCPA, and other partners. The subsequent collaborative work will progress step-by-step, harmoniously coordinated among partners under the Lead Partner's guidance and Programme Authorities' oversight.