South East European University opens in Tetovo

On 20 November the South East European University was officially opened in Tetovo, former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. Speaking at the ceremony OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities, Rolf Ekeus said "today is a good day for the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and a good day for Europe. At a time when good news is in short supply, it is heartening to see that progress can be made towards building peace among people".

A good day for Europe

Higher education has been one of the points of contention between the Macedonian and Albanian communities in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

In July 2000 a new education law was introduced to allow for the use of the Albanian language and other languages in private tertiary institutions in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. Recommendations which facilitated this process were proposed by the High Commissioner and international education experts.

Soon after, Max van der Stoel, who was OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities at the time (and is now Personal Envoy of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office) initiated a project to develop a university which would improve the opportunities for higher education in minority languages.

Funds for the project were sought from the international community. 33 million euro have been pledged so far. The Government of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia donated the piece of land were the University is situated.

Construction continued throughout the fighting

The first sod was turned on 11 February 2001. Construction began in the spring and was completed within less than six months.
The fact that the construction was done so quickly is even more remarkable when one considers that the Tetovo region witnessed some of the heaviest inter-ethnic skirmishes between March and August.

Speaking at the opening, Mr. Ekeus said that "over the past year, Tetovo has been in the news for all the wrong reasons. I hope that in the future, people will think of Tetovo as the site of a multi-lingual University rather than the scene of inter-ethnic violence".

The University is open to all students regardless of ethnicity. The curriculum will be in Albanian, Macedonian, English and other European languages. The university will include faculties of law, business administration, public administration, teacher training, communications and computer studies. The running of the project is overseen by both an international and a national advisory board.

Inspiration for the future

Mr. van der Stoel, who is Chairman of the University's International Advisory Board, has stressed the European orientation of the University saying "we know the wish of the population of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to have increasingly close relations with countries of the European Union and to have education at a standard recognized by European academic institutions". The University will include visiting international professors as well as local academic staff.
Praise has been given to Max van der Stoel for his vision in launching the project in the late 1990s and his perseverance in seeing it through, even during the turbulent period of the past few months.

Asked why he felt that it was necessary to stick to the construction timetable during the fighting Mr. van der Stoel said "we were convinced that there was a need for the project for the long-term stability of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and for addressing an immediate short-term issue so we wanted to be sure to avoid, as far as possible, any delay in the planned opening of the University".

Mr. Ekeus noted the importance of the University in the broader context of inter-ethnic integration in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. He said "I hope that the event that we are witnessing today can offer inspiration to all citizens of Macedonia that this country can move ahead and take steps towards building a better future - a future that can enrich all people of this country, regardless of ethnicity".

Mr. Ekeus noted that he will follow up on the University project with further engagement: "I will be committed to working within my mandate to assist in the process of normalization here in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia".