Prof.Asoc.Dr Perseta Grabova has been teaching since 2008 in the Department of Finance at the University of Tirana. Her subjects of teaching include “Risk Management”. She holds a PhD in Finance. She has been part of many research projects in the field of Risk Management and Disaster Risk Management. Since August 2020, she is the academic coordinator of a Jean Monnet project in the field of Risk Management and European Integration. She has an expertise in managing and implementing projects in the field of risk assessment, climate change and sustainability.
Prof.Asoc. Dr. Elona Pojani is a lecturer at the University of Tirana since 2008. She possess skills and experience of a technical nature related to, climate change, climate finance, public policies in the field of climate change and disaster risk management, and environmental management issues in genera Currently she is coordinating a Multi-country Capacity Building Project in the field of climate change awareness raising within a large consortium (in total 21 Partners) composed of Higher education Institutions, NGOs, Business Association and Government Institutions, situated in Western Europe and the Balkan area. Since 2010, has participated in several international projects coordinated by the UNDP Climate Change Program.
Narin Panariti holds a Master’s and “Doctor of Science” degree in Environmental Management,
as well as the title of Associate Professor. She has worked for 38 years on environment and
climate change issues from different perspectives: as a researcher, as a university professor, as
a senior manager of the environmental state administration, as an environmental expert in the
international industry, as a consultant, etc. During all these years, her professional
engagements have exposed Mrs. Panariti both nationally and internationally. She was a
Director of Policy, EU integration, Legislation and Projects at the Ministry of Environment of
Albania, member of the Negotiator Group for the Stabilization and Association Agreement,
member of the Bureau of the Committee for Environmental Policy and of the Transport, Health,
and Environment Pan-European Programme of the UNECEE and National Focal Point of the
European Environment Agency. She has been teaching at Tirana University, Faculty of
Economics and Business and Faculty of Natural Sciences. Since almost 17 years ago, she is
engaged as an environment and climate change consultant working for different international
technical assistance projects assisting the Ministry of Environment to fulfil the obligations for the
EU integration of the country in these area. She is an effective communicator and trainer,
mentor, advisor, tutor and presenter. She has written numerous reports and policy papers.
Mr. Gledis Gjipali is the Executive Director of the European Movement of Albania. He
graduated from the Faculty of Law at the University of Tirana in 2004. He has worked for
several years at the Ministry of European Integration (2004-2008) at the Approximation of
Legislation Directorate, addressing areas of immigration, organized crime, judicial
cooperation, human rights and personal data protection. Later in the Justice and Home Affairs
Department, he was engaged in the reform of the judicial system and property rights. During
this period, he has been a member of the working teams for drafting important strategic
documents such as the National Plan for Legislation Approximation, the National Plan for the
Implementation of the MSA, etc. Mr. Gjipali has considerable experience in the European integration process, experience that he first reflected in the position of the Program Director (2008) and later of the Executive Director of EMA (2009). Some of the most important initiatives undertaken include: the
National Convention on EU Integration, a platform about the cooperation between state
institutions and civil society; European Integration and Negotiation Academy, with the main
focus on the preparation of experts from various sectors regarding EU accession negotiations;
EuroSpeak, an informative window on the European Union and the progress of the
integration process. He has published several studies and reports in the field of European Integration, free
movement of persons, EU assistance in regional and rural development, electoral systems and
parliament. For several years he has been the author of Freedom House’s Nations in Transit
Countries Report for Albania. He is a member of the National Council of European
Integration, and of the Civil Society Joint Consultative Committee EU – Albania, as well as
in some other advisory boards related to research and civil society. Mr. Gjipali speaks
Albanian (mother tongue), English and Italian.
Albana Zotaj is a seasoned environmental consultant with over 28 years of experience, specializing in Geographic Information Systems (GIS), cartography, and digital image processing. She holds a degree from the Polytechnic University of Tirana’s Faculty of Civil Engineering, Department of Geodesy. Throughout her career, Albana has applied her expertise in GIS and remote sensing technologies to nature conservation and the management of protected areas. Her skills extend to environmental impact assessments, where she has led processes from baseline surveys to the development of environmental monitoring and mitigation plans. She has coordinated and managed national and international research and development projects Albania at Geographic Studies Center Academy of Sciences of Albania, UNDP Albania, National Spatial Planning Agency AKPT, Territorial Development Agency AZHT, contributing significantly to environmental management and sustainable development. In addition to her consultancy work, Albana is dedicated to education and training, offering instruction in GIS and remote sensing principles to both public and private institutions.
Meljana Bregu
Meljana Bregu has been a lecturer at the Faculty of History and Philology, University of Tirana, since 2011. She holds a solid academic background in legal sciences, international policy, and European Union law, complemented by over a decade of teaching and research experience.
She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Legal Science at the University of Bologna, with a thesis focused on “The Control of Concentrations between Companies in European Union Law.” In 2008, she completed her second-cycle degree in Law, followed by a Master’s degree in Diplomacy and International Policy (2010), also from the University of Bologna, with a specialization in European Union Law. In 2013, under the Erasmus Mundus program, she returned to Bologna University for a one-month academic exchange, working alongside Professor Attila Tanzi at the Chair of International Law.
Dr. Bregu obtained her PhD in International Relations from the University of Tirana, and has since contributed extensively to national and international conferences with research focused on the European Union’s role in Albania and the Western Balkans.
Her expertise in European studies is further demonstrated by her active role in several EU-funded initiatives:
- Coordinator of the Jean Monnet Module (2018–2021): “The Full Integration of the Albanian Society into the European Family”
- Team Member of the Jean Monnet Module (2020–2023): “The Integration Process and the Protection of Human Rights in Albania”
- Team Member of the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence (2021–2024): “Europeanization of Public Policies in Albania”
With her interdisciplinary background and extensive involvement in Jean Monnet activities, Meljana Bregu continues to be a strong contributor to the academic and policy discourse on EU integration and human rights in Albania.
Juliana Gjinko,
Dr. Juliana Gjinko is a Senior Researcher, Trainer, and Lecturer at the Faculty of History and Philology, University of Tirana, where she has been teaching since 2008.
She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Sciences and a Master of Science in International Economic Relations from the University of Bologna. She completed her PhD in History of Developing and Transitional Countries at the University of Tirana.
Her teaching focuses on political institutions in EU member states and European integration, with a particular emphasis on Albania’s institutional transformation and accession process. Dr. Gjinko’s research has been presented at various national and international conferences, covering key themes such as:
- EU conditionality in Albania,
- Institution-building in transitional contexts,
- The evolution of democratic governance in the Western Balkans.
She currently serves as the Coordinator of the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence “The Europeanization of Public Policies in Albania”, and has played an active role in multiple international research and capacity-building projects at the University of Tirana.
With a strong interdisciplinary background and years of academic and project-based experience, Dr. Gjinko continues to contribute meaningfully to the academic discourse on EU integration and public policy reform in Albania.