Representatives from the EU Office in Kosovo and the Advisory and Liaison Team of NATO visited the Academy

Vushtrri, February 23, 2023 – The Acting General Director of the Kosovo Academy for Public Safety (AKSP), Kastriot Jashari, today met with a delegation from the European Union Office in Kosovo led by Alessandro Bianciardi, Deputy Head for Cooperation.

In addition to Bianciardi, the delegation included Johan Van de Velde, head of the team, Teodora Andreeva, program manager, and Joseph M. Bolcar, emergency management advisor at the NATO Advisory and Liaison Team (NLAT).

Wishing them a welcome, the Acting General Director of the Academy, Kastriot Jashari, informed the delegation about the latest developments at the Academy, such as the graduation of the 46th generation of cadets of the Kosovo Correctional Service (KCS) as well as the graduation of the 57th generation of the cadets of the Kosovo Police (KP).

The delegation was also informed about the international cooperation that the Academy has.

Meanwhile, the deputy of the Director of the Department of Training and Educational Support, Shaban Bajrami, informed the representatives from the EU Office and those of NLAT about the types of training that are held at the Academy, for all public safety institutions in Kosovo.

Speaking about the number of trainings, Bajrami said that, out of 161 types of trainings that are held at the Academy, 24 of them are intended only for the Emergency Management Agency (EMA), in some of which, in addition to EMA officials, officials from other institutions also participate.

On his part, Alessandro Bianciardi, Deputy Head of Cooperation at the EU Office in Kosovo, expressed his satisfaction with his visit to the Academy.

Bianciardi, during the speech, showed his interest in training related to civil protection, control of possible floods and environmental pollution.

Meanwhile, Joseph M. Bolcar, advisor for Emergency Management in the NATO Advisory and Liaison Team (NLAT), highly appreciated the achievements of the Academy, which were reflected during the meeting.

He focused on the support that should be given to the fire and rescue service. Bolcar spoke about a joint coordination in the future between the Kosovo Academy for Public Safety (KAPS), the Emergency Management Agency (EMA) and the International Training Center for Search and Rescue (SAR) of the KSF within the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Kosovo.

During the meeting, the parties expressed their willingness to deepen cooperation in the future in the field of training, especially those related to emergency management.