Reforming Kosovo’s legal system moving towards EU integration

Project description

Title: Support to EU-Integration Reform Processes in Kosovo
Commissioned by: German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
Country: Kosovo
Lead executing agency: Office of the Prime Minister of Kosovo (OPM)
Overall term: 2021 to 2024

Context

“Support to EU-Integration Reform Processes in Kosovo” is a follow-on project which builds upon three previous technical cooperation measures, “Support to the European Integration Process”, “Legal and Administrative Reform” and the “Good Financial Governance in Kosovo” projects. It will focus on implementing previously advised legal framework conditions in relevant areas. The project addresses one core problem that has been identified in Kosovo, namely deficiencies in the implementation of reforms. This is often due to a lack of capacities and competencies within the public administration, in particular law enforcement authorities, inspectorates and prosecution authorities. The project will focus on providing assistance towards establishing the conditions necessary to align policy implementation with the Stabilisation and Association Agreement. Other working fields include improving the conditions for administrative execution in selected areas, improving access to justice for citizens with low income and ensuring that the conditions surrounding the implementation of environmental law are improved.

Objective

The Kosovar Government is creating the prerequisites to implement extensive reforms to the country’s legal system, bringing Kosovo closer to EU integration.

Approach

The Project builds upon previous achievements in areas such as policy and budget, administrative enforcement, access to justice and environmental governance. Strategic planning processes that significantly impact the long-term development of Kosovo are to be consolidated in order to provide a more stable framework and better conditions to allow improvements to be carried out in these areas. The project operates at national level in the fields of policy and budget as well as administrative enforcement, while the other two areas of intervention are increasingly being implemented at subnational levels. The module follows an approach that complements the previous achievements of the earlier modules by focusing on building the capacities required to implement EU-relevant reforms. 

The module’s capacity-development strategy focuses on three levels, with its measures aimed at professional and managerial staff in the public administration at individual, subnational and national level. At the organisational level, the module provides advice on better coordination between public institutions and on the development of more sustainable organisational planning procedures. At systemic level, assistance in evidence-based policy design is provided by bringing in implementation experience from different areas. At national level, capacity-building measures are carried out in the adjustment of regulations and guideline. These are then replicated horizontally for other municipalities.

Last update: July 2021