Remarks by President von der Leyen at the joint press conference with Edi Rama, Prime Minister of Albania, following the International Donors' Conference 'Together for Al

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Thank you very much.

Good afternoon,

I am very happy to be here with Prime Minister Edi Rama. And I am very happy to announce that the international community strongly supports the reconstruction efforts in Albania. And I want to thank each and every one of the donors for their generous contributions.

I would like to pay tribute to the resilience that Albania and its people have shown after this devastating earthquake. I want to remind you that 51 men, women and children lost their lives, more than 900 people were injured. Thousands of people lost their homes. Over 300 schools and 30 health centres have been damaged. More than 200,000 people have been affected in the country. Moreover, up to 17,000 people were displaced due to the loss of their homes.

This could have happened to any one of us and we owe it to the survivors, who lost their loved ones and their homes, to help them to rebuild their future.

I am proud and glad that the European Union has taken the initiative to organise this International Donors' Conference in Brussels. Today, the international community has promised here in Brussels to help Albania in its long-term reconstruction and recovery time.

Albania is not alone. We will accompany Albania throughout the recovery phase. Albania is for us an important partner and a friend of the European Union, and the European Union stands for solidarity and responsibility.

I am very happy to announce that the European Union – that is the Commission, the European Investment Bank and the Member States together – pledged EUR 400 million. But it is even getting better because today, we exceeded all expectations. The international community has pledged EUR 1.15 billion for Albania. This is phenomenal. It will fully cover the needs, and I am thrilled about the solidarity that the international community has shown with Albania.