Initiative from Croatia brings the demands of Albanian students in North Macedonia to the European Parliament

A student initiative launched in Croatia aims to elevate the heated debate over the linguistic rights of Albanians in North Macedonia to the international level, by addressing the issue directly in the European Parliament (EP).

As INA reports, student Zijahudin Elezi, together with Rinor Bugujevci, head of the Albanian Youth Club in Croatia, announced that they had formally presented the concerns of Albanian students through a letter sent to the well-known Croatian MEP, Davor Ivo Stier.

This move comes after a deadlock that has continued for several months in Skopje, where law students insist on their demand to take the bar exam in the Albanian language. They describe this as a legitimate right, supported both by the constitutional status of the language and by international standards.

In the letter sent to MEP Stier, the activists listed the obstacles and alleged discrimination that, according to them, Albanians in North Macedonia face in state professional processes. Representatives of this initiative stated that Albanians united from all parts of the world will work to ensure that this voice is heard in every international institution, emphasizing that politics may ignore them, but will not be able to silence them in their effort to secure the rights that belong to them.

The issue of taking the state exam in one’s mother tongue remains one of the most sensitive topics for Albanian public opinion, as it is directly linked to the full implementation of the Ohrid Agreement and the constitutional provisions in North Macedonia.

The Albanian Youth Club in Croatia announced that the first letter addressed to MEPs is only the initial step in a broader diplomatic effort. Meanwhile, direct meetings in Brussels have already been planned, where, in addition to the Club’s leaders, student Zijahudin Elezi will also present the positions and demands of the students from North Macedonia.

Through this awareness-raising effort, the aim is for European institutions to increase pressure on official Skopje, so that linguistic rights are addressed in line with European standards for minorities and human rights conventions. /INA/