Minister Shasivari: The right to take the exam in Albanian is a legal, not political, challenge

Responding from the parliamentary rostrum, Justice Minister Jeton Shasivari addressed a question from Dijana Toska, an MP from the Democratic Union for Integration, about the deadline for taking the bar examination in Albanian. He stressed that the issue is not merely about a test, but concerns the future of aspiring lawyers, equal opportunities and the standard of the legal system they seek to establish.

Shasivari was firm in stating that he does not view the issue through an ethnic or party-political lens. He clarified that, in his view, it is a deeply legal and institutional matter. According to him, the solution must be based on the Constitution and the laws, guaranteeing equal treatment and full respect for the language rights of every candidate. “The language may differ, but the criterion must remain unchanged, which requires institutional and political maturity,” he underlined.

The minister revealed that his office had received submissions from five student organizations and added that his personal position was that any such initiative originating from students and academia deserved careful analysis. While presenting the requests, he specified that the Association of Students of the South East European University, the Association of “Mother Teresa” University and the Association of the University of Tetovo were seeking to take the exam in Albanian. He also noted that the International Balkan University, whose study programs are in English, was requesting the same language, while the International “Vision” University, which accredits programs in Macedonian, English and Turkish, had requested that the examination be held in English and Turkish.

Considering these details to be more than mere statistics, Shasivari described them as a clear message from the younger generation preparing to enter the legal profession, calling on institutions to listen to this voice. In conclusion, he announced that at the beginning of the new academic year, during the month of October, he would invite representatives of these student organizations to a coordination meeting on the matter.