Blerim Reka

Dr. Blerim Reka is an author, professor and former ambassador, and has served in several high-level government positions in Kosovo and North Macedonia.

Dr. Reka has served as Minister for EU Integration for the Republic of Kosovo and as Ambassador of the Republic of Macedonia to the European Union in Brussels. He was also a candidate for President of the Republic of North Macedonia.

He is a professor of International Public Law, EU Law and International Relations at the University for Business and Technology in Pristina and the author of 20 books; the latest of which is “Balkans Geopolitics: From Cold War to Hot Peace” (2020).

Dr. Reka was vice rector for International Relations at South East European University (SEEU) through 2018, pro-rector for research at SEEU (2005-2006 and 2010-2014), and the dean of the Department of Public Administration at SEEU from 2003 to 2005.

Dr. Reka served as a key expert in EU Chapter 24 for the National Convention for EU Integration of the Republic of North Macedonia (2017-2019) and is currently a board member of the Diplomatic Academy of Kosovo’s Ministry of Foreign Relations (2018-2022).

He has also held diplomatic and legal advisory positions such as Advisor to the President of the Republic of Kosovo for EU Integration (February-March 2011); Member of the Expert Committee for Foreign Relations of the Parliament of Republic of Kosovo (2011-2013); Member of the Legal Council of the Government of the Republic of Macedonia (2003-2006); and Member of the Expert Team of the Government of the Republic of Macedonia for National Strategy for Integration to the EU (2004).

He ran as an independent candidate for the presidency of the Republic of North Macedonia in April 2019, finishing third with 11.1 percent of the vote.

As a member of the Constitutional Committee of Parliament of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Reka drafted constitutional amendments in accordance with the Ohrid Framework Agreement 2001. As a member of the constitutional experts team of the United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Kosovo, he helped draft the Constitutional Framework for Kosovo (2001).

He was also the founder and chairman of the Constitutional Forum of Kosovo (2000-2001); and co-chair of the Joint Advisory Council for Legislative Matters of the UN Mission in Kosovo, established by UN SRSG Dr. Bernard Kouchner (1999-2004).

Dr. Reka is the editor of the political and legal section of the Encyclopedic Dictionary of Kosovo, (Kosovo Academy of Science and Arts, Pristina); editor-in-chief of SEE University Review, (2010-2014 and 2005-2006); founder and editor-in-chief of Euro-Atlantic Review (2001-2005); founder and editor-in-chief of Kosovo Law Review, an Albanian-English legal quarterly (1996-2004); founder and president of the Kosovo Institute for Euro-Atlantic Integration KIEAI (1999-2005); co-founder of the Kosovo Law Centre (KLC), a legal NGO established by the OSCE mission in Kosovo in 2000; and author of the Project for Regional Integration: Balkans Area of Free Trade Agreements (BAFTA), as a model of regional sub-integration and the creation of free trade zone (1998).

Dr. Reka also has experience in the media as vice chairman of the board of directors of Radio Television of Kosovo (RTK), appointed by UN SRSGs Hans Haekkerup, Harri Holkeri and Soren Jessen-Petersen (2001-2006); founder and director of Radio Rilindja (1999-2000); director of the daily newspaper Rilindja (1999-2000), the oldest Albanian-language daily in the former Yuogoslavia, first published in 1945; and a correspondent for the BBC World Service’s Albanian section from Pristina (1993).

He has been professor of International Law, International Relations and EU Law at SEEU; University of Tetovo (1998-2005); University of Pristina (2002-2006); and a member of the PhD commissions at: the Sorbonne (2019); University Catolique de Louven (2011-2012); European University of Tirana (2011-2012) and the Institute for European Studies, University of Tirana (2011-2012).

Dr. Reka holds a doctorate in International Public Law, (University of Pristina – University of GRAZ, 2002); MLL, Civil and Economic Law, (University of Pristina, 1994) and a BA LAW (1982).

He was also a Fulbright senior fellow in international law at the University of Southern California (USC) Los Angeles, international governance with post-conflict societies, spring semester 2003 and at the Harvard Executive Program, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Ash Institute, Innovations in Governance (2005).