The South East Europe Programme of ELIAMEP, headed by professor Ioannis Armakolas, conducted a visit to Albania in the context of networking and dissemination activities for the H2020 MIGREC between 5 and 7 March 2023. The MIGREC project began in October 2019 and it will be completed on 31 March 2023 and its main purpose was the creation of a research center dedicated to migration under the auspices of the University of Belgrade and the Department of Political Science. The South East Programme of ELIAMEP coordinated a series of networking and dissemination visits in the Western Balkan countries. In this case the ELIAMEP team had the opportunity to present the outcomes of the project and the perspectives for future collaborations between MIGREC and several institutions in the region with an emphasis on research cooperation and collaboration for securing external funding for migration related projects.

In Albania, the presentations were delivered by Dr. Panagiotis Paschalidis, researcher at the South East Europe Programme and Adjunct Lecturer at the Department of Communication and Digital Media (University of Western Macedonia, Greece). On 5 March, the first presentation took place at the premises of the Albanian Institute for International Studies (AIIS) and a group of researchers who showed a keen interest on ways to collaborate with MIGREC in the future. On 6 March, the second presentation took place at the department of Political Science and International Relations at the Epoka University of Tirana. The audience consisted of numerous professors and students of the department and the presentation was followed by a vivid discussion regarding migration issues and more generally policies in the Western Balkans. The third presentation took place on 7 March at the Mediterranean University of Tirana and the department of Political Science. The audience also consisted of numerous professors and students who raised issues regarding MIGREC’s research interests and future projects. In all cases, there was an extensive presentation of the ways to connect with MIGREC through its social media accounts and its website.