Vatican City, 27 June 2014 (VIS) –
Today in Belgrade a framework Agreement was signed between the Holy
See and the Republic of Serbia on collaboration in higher education,
which confirms the principles and defines the arrangement of duties
between both parties in the field of higher education. The Agreement
was signed on behalf of the Holy See by Archbishop Dominique
Mamberti, secretary for Relations with States, and for the Republic
of Serbia by the vice president of the government and minister of the
Exterior, Ivica Dacic.
According to the terms of the
Agreement, the Parties will undertake to collaborate in the sector of
higher education and to promote direct contract between institutions
of this type. Furthermore, they will undertake to standardise the
questions regarding mutual recognition of academic qualifications and
public documents attesting to higher instruction. To implement this
agreement, the two Parties will subsequently stipulate related
additional protocols, by which the activities, as well as the
organisational and financial conditions of implementation, shall be
defined. The Agreement also recognises the right of the Catholic
Church in Serbia to establish and direct Institutions of higher
education both for ecclesiastical disciplines and other subjects of
higher study.
The Agreement will come into force on
the date of receipt of the final information, by diplomatic means,
pertaining to the fulfilment of all the requisites of the national
legal systems of the two Parties for its implementation.