52 Challenges of Ful flling European Union Directives: Te Importance of Clinical Practice at the Bachelor Nursing Study Program Dr. Sc. Etleva RUSTAMI Medical University of Tirana Corresponding author: evarustami@yahoo.com MSc. Alma PULA Medical University of Tirana Dr. Sc. Anila DINE University Centre “Mother Teresa”, Tirana Abstract Introduction: Nursing education in EU countries follows EU requirements and directives� Even Albania, as a candidate country in relation to nursing and midwifery education must start planning to implement these standards� EU directives require that 50% of the nursing education curriculum to be converted into hours of laboratory and clinical practice, which should be carried out in specialised hospital units� Te non-compliance of the Albanian Nursing Education’s programs with these standards has become an issue for our graduates and makes the equivalentation of the nursing program abroad difcult� Aim: To sightsee the nursing programs ofered by Higher Education Institutions in Albania and to analyse how they meet the standards defned in the EU directives�