North Macedonia criticised for ignoring Albanian language law

North Macedonia Albanian language language law border signage jurisprudence exam

In the border town of Tabanoc, the welcome sign that previously displayed text in Albanian was replaced with a version showing only Macedonian, English and French, sparking complaints that the Albanian language was removed from official signage. The change contradicts North Macedonia’s Law on the Use of Languages, which mandates bilingual signs in border areas where at least 20 % of residents speak a language other than Macedonian.

Student groups representing the Albanian community have repeatedly asked that state examinations – including the jurisprudence, notary and other professional exams – be offered in Albanian, as required by the language law. Despite petitions signed by Mevlan Ademi and Besjan Rexhepi, the Albanian version of the jurisprudence exam has not been made available. The Justice Minister, Jeton Shasivari, and the head of the Inspectorate for the Use of Languages, Arsim Idrizi, met but did not discuss the exam issue.

Analyst Frrok Çupi has suggested that the omission of Albanian from the Tabanoc sign is an attempt to destabilise Albania. Meanwhile, the government of North Macedonia has failed to publish any parliamentary minutes in Albanian for almost a year, with 80‑plus records remaining untranslated, raising further concerns about compliance with the language law.

Entities

Ademi · Albanian language · Albanian minority · Arsim Idrizi · Frrok Çupi · Jeton Shasivari · Law on the Use of Languages · Mevlan Ademi · Mustafa Dauti · North Macedonia · Republic of North Macedonia · Tabanoc border crossing

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.

[● 2 SOURCES] The signage at the Tabanoc border crossing omitted Albanian language. abcnews.al · zhurnal.mk
[● 3 SOURCES] Arsim Idrizi has not taken action to correct the missing Albanian signage. tetovasot.com
[● 4 SOURCES] North Macedonia’s Law on the Use of Languages requires bilingual signs in border areas where at least 20 % of residents speak a language other than Macedonian. abcnews.al · zhurnal.mk
[○ 1 SOURCE] Analyst Frrok Çupi claimed the omission of Albanian signage aims to destabilise Albania. abcnews.al
[● 4 SOURCES] Politician Mevlan Ademi criticized the selective enforcement of the language law as illegal discrimination. faktiditor.ch
[○ 1 SOURCE] A meeting between Justice Minister Jeton Shasivari and Arsim Idrizi did not discuss the Albanian jurisprudence exam. tetovasot.com
[● 2 SOURCES] The Albanian jurisprudence exam has not been offered despite petitions from Albanian‑speaking law students. tetovasot.com · lajmpress.org
[● 3 SOURCES] Arsim Idrizi is the head of the Inspectorate for the Use of Languages in North Macedonia. tetovasot.com · lajmpress.org
[● 2 SOURCES] Student representatives Mevlan Ademi and Besjan Rexhepi submitted a renewed request for state exams to be offered in Albanian, covering jurisprudence, notary and other professional exams. faktiditor.ch
[○ 1 SOURCE] The government of North Macedonia has not published any parliamentary minutes in Albanian for about a year. portalb.mk