On the 8th of September 2017, the ambassador of the Republic of Italy in Bosnia and Herzegovina, H.E. Nicola Minasi has handed to the Rector of the University of Sarajevo, Prof. dr. Rifat Škrijelj, a letter of financial commitment to re-confirm the cooperation of the two institutions through the European Regional MA Programme in Democracy and Human Rights in South East Europe (ERMA). Thanks to the contribution of the Italian Agency for cooperation and development, this programme will continue to be financed in the next academic year.
The Ambassador stressed out that he is exceptionally proud of the support the embassy provides for this master, pointing out that this programme, established already in 2000 by the EU, has a regional character and offers full scholarships for students coming from the Balkan Region, European Union, Caucasus and Russian Federation. He said that more than 500 students graduated from this programme and that all interested candidates can apply for the a.y. 2017/18 until the 14th of September 2017. Ms. Sabina Ćudić, ERMA Alumna, stressed out the continuity and the international character of the programme, as well as the big potential of the ERMA Alumni network.
The Rector stated that this is one of the best international programmes at the University of Sarajevo, which is why it is important to invest joint efforts in its continuation. „Being a classical international programme, it is an extremely important project for the University of Sarajevo. There is a serious exchange of professors and mobility of the students within it. We issue a double diploma with the University of Bologna. This Master programme covers, among others, one of the crucial topics and challenges for the humanity in the 21 Century: Human Rights.“ – said the Rector. He also used the occasion to thank the Italian Government, the European Commission and also students and Alumni of the programme, who believe in it and engage actively in securing its continuation