معرفی
Gentian Elezi serves as Resident Professor in the Department of European Transformation and Integration Studies at the College of Europe's Tirana Campus. His academic career includes prior roles as Chair of the Department of EU Diplomacy and International Relations at the University of Tirana's Institute of European Studies and as a Visiting Scholar at the University of Cambridge's Department of Politics and International Studies (POLIS) in 2018. He also brings practical policy experience from serving as Albania's Deputy Minister for European Integration (2013-2016).
His educational qualifications comprise a Ph.D. in Politics and an MA in European Politics from the University of Sussex, UK, and a BA in Political Science from the University of Milan, Italy.
Professor Elezi's research centers on EU enlargement dynamics, democratisation processes, and institutional reforms within Western Balkan states pursuing EU accession. His current Jean Monnet Chair on 'Building capacities for EU accession' (2022-2025) reflects his specialized focus on strengthening regional preparedness for European integration.
His distinguished recognition includes:
- Chevening scholarship from the UK Foreign Commonwealth Office
- Francois Duchene Award by the European Movement UK
- Civil Society Scholar Award from the Open Society Institute
As principal coordinator of multiple research initiatives and consultant for Western Balkan think-tanks, Elezi bridges academic scholarship with real-world policy implementation. His work uniquely combines theoretical expertise in European integration with hands-on governmental experience during Albania's critical pre-accession phase.
