First university diplomas certified

Today 73 diplomas from Kosovo were certified by the European University Association (EUA) in line with the agreement reached in the EU facilitated Priština-Belgrade-Dialogue.

"Today's certification of the first 73 university diplomas is welcome. It enables these young people to use their university diplomas to pursue their studies or to seek employment in Serbia, as elsewhere in Europe. It improves the lives of citizens while bringing Serbian practice closer to European norms. This meets two of the objectives for which the dialogue was established, albeit in a modest way.", said Robert COOPER, the EU facilitator for the dialogue.

Certification takes place through an EUA established committee of academic experts who have verified that the university diplomas were correctly issued by authorised institutions and in line with European best practice.

These certified diplomas will be treated in Serbia the same way as other diplomas issued outside of Serbia. Currently this means that graduates who want to pursue further education programmes and/or public employment in Serbia may now submit their diplomas, together with the EUA certificate, to a university of their choice. The university in question will then issue a confirmation of acceptance. With this confirmation graduates may then either enrol in academic programmes or apply for a position in the public administration.

For further relevant information and guidance on certification of Diplomas by the EUA, please contact the Ministry of Education in Belgrade or Priština. Stichting SPARK, a third party recruited by the EU to undertake verification of university diplomas on the ground, will also be able to answer further questions.