After nearly two years of efforts by the Government of the Republic of Slovenia to win the seat of the Euro-Mediterranean University (EMUNI) in Slovenia, the inauguration ceremony of the institution took place on 9 June in Portoro?. The idea of establishing the university was conceived in 1995, when the “Euro-Mediterranean partnership”, EUROMED, was formed. EUROMED builds on three pillars of partnerhips: the Political and Security Chapter, the Economic and Financial Chapter and the Social, Cultural and Human Chapter.

The aim of EMUNI is thus to be an international, mainly postgraduate and research institution within the Euro-Mediterranean partnership. The main objectives of the university are:

• to develop academic and professional human resources in the region and contribute to the creation of a common higher education and research area in line with the developments of the Bologna Process, the Catania Declaration and the Cairo Declaration,
• to support and strengthen the existing co-operation networks among universities and institutes by promoting and organising joint study and research programmes; and
• to contribute to the enhancement of intercultural dialogue and to the strengthening of the EUROMED partnership in general.

This year, EMUNI will prepare its first summer school; around one hundred students have already confirmed participation and more than twenty foreign teachers will lecture. The institution plans to publish an international scientific magazine in November and to prepare an international conference on the topic of intercultural dialogue this year.

Slovenia will provide a prime location and the necessary infrastructure for the new university in the municipality of Piran on the Adriatic coast. The Slovenian Government has already earmarked the funds for the adaptation and maintenance of the premises and it has allocated the starting funds for the period 2007-2009.

Press release
EMUNI Website