Located in Tirana, the Student City is adding two newly reconstructed buildings, fully upgraded from the ground up, with improved conditions and European-standard infrastructure. The entire area is being transformed year by year, moving from complete disrepair to a modern complex offering optimal living and studying conditions. These include dorm rooms with private showers and toilets, reading rooms, cooking and dining areas on each floor, free internet, a security system, laundromats, and the preparation for the construction of new administrative, social-cultural, and sports facilities.
Prime Minister Edi Rama, together with Minister of Education and Sports Ogerta Manastirliu and Mayor of Tirana Erion Veliaj, visited the recently completed buildings (16 and 17), where 360 students will be accommodated. Once the renovation of 14 buildings is completed over the next three years, up to 2,300 students are expected to be housed. The creation of these improved living and study conditions is not only about the internal layout but also about the well-designed mechanical, hydraulic, and electrical systems.
“In total, we’ve completed 15 buildings. These were three of the occupied buildings, which were relocated from the original ‘freedom of democracy’ squatters and demolished by the earthquake. There are two types: one built with Kfw funds and another by the Municipality of Tirana. It’s like a hotel reception; each building has its own administrator. Every student gets their personal card. Let’s take a look at one of the rooms. For two people, each has their own shower. The shower used to be on a schedule when we found it back in 2013. There’s also a dining hall for breakfast, with a microwave, stove, and refrigerator,” explained Mayor Erion Veliaj during his tour of some of the rooms. He also mentioned that the design for four public buildings in the master plan has been completed, including the Olympic pool, study halls, administrative rooms, and multifunctional spaces.
After the inspection, Prime Minister Rama gave a speech at the ceremony held to mark the occasion.
***
Prime Minister Edi Rama: Thank you very much, first and foremost, I want to express my gratitude to everyone who worked hard to make these significant new developments in the ‘Student City’ a reality. I also want to take a moment to look back and remind you that, even though the large student protest from a few years ago has long since ended and may have been forgotten by many, we continue to work, staying true to every commitment we made, delivering everything we promised.
This city, at its core, is a legacy of the past, but it is also a city that must serve the future. It must provide students coming here with optimal conditions—equal conditions with the best that students have in European Union countries. The dormitory we just saw, for example, is one that would proudly stand in category A in any EU country, not category B, because everywhere there are A, B, and even C categories.
Meanwhile, in this city, the College of Europe is also being established, which is the third campus after the central one in Bruges and the second one in Poland, created to support the first wave of European Union expansion. It is no coincidence that Albania was chosen, and it is certainly no coincidence that Tirana was chosen.
With the College of Europe here in this city, the prestige of the Student City will undoubtedly grow, and the Student City will become a destination of an entirely different category—not just at the national level, but also at the regional level, without a doubt.
Our goal is to bring renowned architects to the Student City so that it doesn’t just have utilitarian buildings, but also architectural masterpieces that will contribute to the extraordinary collection being built in Tirana.
Lastly, I want to say this: this area, the Student City, physically represents the transformation of our country, the transformation of all aspects of our lives over the years. This area has embodied the pains and distortions of a transition we’ve now left behind.
The Municipality of Tirana is the driving force in every area, and our support in this regard has been, is, and will continue to be a priority because it’s crucial for us that this priority continues to deliver success. It is also essential that this work remains complementary, as the Municipality of Tirana is not like other municipalities; it is the metropolis of Albania, and with the economic success in Tirana, it has the capacity to take much larger steps than others.
Thus, subscriptions for free bus travel within the city for pensioners, supported and directly funded by the Municipality of Tirana, are paid for by taxpayers. These funds come from builders who contribute the highest taxes to the municipality—not just in terms of a transformation that no one could have imagined and that foreigners coming here cannot even imagine, from all categories, but also in the realization of the newest joint project between the government and the municipality. This project aims to introduce lunch meals in middle schools and create opportunities for more social interaction among children, so they can have more experiences together.
On the other hand, this also aims to ease the financial burden on families struggling with their daily economic lives.
So, undoubtedly, the best is still ahead of us, as we negotiate membership and as we now see the EU door, which is no longer a distant horizon, where nothing could be seen on the other side.
Thank you!
