Gledis Gjipali

Mr. Gjipali has considerable experience in implementing and managing different projects on European integration, experience that he first reflected in the position of the Program Director and later of the Executive Director of EMA. 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 main focus 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. Mr. Gjipali graduated from the Faculty of Law at the University of Tirana in 2004. In 2005 he conducted a working practice at the Council of Europe, General Directorate of Political Affairs. He has worked for several years at the Ministry of European Integration (2004-2008) at the Legislation Approximation 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. He has been as well a member of the Albania-EU Working Groups in which a constant reporting was made about the issues and the progress achieved in different fields. 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 as well as in some other advisory boards related to research and civil society. Mr. Gjipali speaks Albanian (mother tongue), English and Italian.