The Governor of the Bank of Albania, Gent Sejko, received on Thursday in an official meeting a delegation from the Central Bank of Germany, headed by Burkhard Balz, a member of the Executive Board of the Deutsche Bundesbank.

This meeting took place within the framework of the Program for "Strengthening the capacities of Central Banks in the Western Balkans with a focus on integration into the European System of Central Banks" and the cooperation of the Bank of Albania (BSH) and the Deutsche Bundesbank about this program.

The visit of representatives of the Deutsche Bundesbank aims to get to know the institutions that are part of the program, the general evaluation of their benefits from this program, as well as the determination of needs for the future.

Governor Sejko thanked Balz for the meeting, evaluating as very fruitful the cooperation so far within the Program, which aims to strengthen the capacities of the beneficiary institutions, mainly through the further improvement of their analytical and political instruments, through the acquisition of the highest standards international and European good in national practices. The program is supported by the European Union (EU), through its Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA III).

Sejko said that during the first phase of the program, around 80 employees of the Bank of Albania were trained, while during the implementation of the second phase, 24 employees have been trained so far, and bilateral cooperation has been established between the staff of the Bank of Albania and the Bank of Spain. Meanwhile, in the second component at the national level, 6 bilateral cooperations and three 10-day internships are foreseen, from which about 70 central bank employees will benefit.

Balz congratulated the authorities for the progress made in the professional and institutional aspects, which has helped Albania on its path of economic and social development. Also, he expressed his willingness and that of the Bundesbank to help Albania in the process of European integration.