EC President Ursula Von der Leyen responds to Albanian girl letter

Letter of Erjola sent to Ursula Von der Leyen

 The President of the European Commission Ursula Von der Leyen has shared on her social networks the letter that she recently received from an Albanian girl, whose name is Erjola, from the city of Kurbin.

Erjola thanked the European institutions for providing millions of euros in funds for the reconstruction of schools and houses destroyed by the tragic earthquake that struck Albania in November 2019.

Erjola writes proudly "Today my friends and I feel really European". Responding to the girl, Von der Leyen expresses her hope and conviction that one day Albania will actually join the EU.

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Erjola is a 15-year-old girl living in Kurbin in northern Albania, 35 kilometers from the capital Tirana and a few kilometers from the Adriatic Sea.

She sent me a handwritten letter, expressing her sincere joy for her newly built school, with the help of the EU. This letter touched me. It is not just a deeply personal account of his experience. It is also a strong reminder of the good we can achieve as Europeans when we work together. In this case the EU and Albania.

Two years ago, a devastating earthquake measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale struck Albania, killing dozens of people. Among the most affected municipalities was Kurbin and among the destroyed buildings was the Erjola school. The whole European Union is rapidly mobilizing for a country that is at the center of our continent and that I hope and am convinced that one day it will also be part of our Union.

In February 2020, at the International Donors' Conference "Together for Albania", I invited, in the presence of Prime Minister Edi Rama, our international partners to join in support of the recovery. I gave 100 million euros from the EU budget only to the European Commission, in addition to the 15 million euros we had already given.

Among other things, the EU has since supported the recovery process in the region with a program called "EU4Schools". Launched in May 2020, it offers funding for 75 million euros. Implemented by UNDP, it is a platform to work directly with the Albanian government, supporting national government and local governments.

Another program called "EU4Culture" with a budget of 40 million euros, implemented by UNOPS, aims to rehabilitate and increase the construction of cultural heritage sites affected by the earthquake.

In September, during my trip to Albania and other Western Balkan countries, I had the honor of inaugurating the Korb Muça school and the "Evropa" kindergarten, which were also rebuilt with EU funds. Now, Erjola's letter is another special reminder of the lasting friendship between the EU and Albania and of our common future.