Month: March 2022

On 29 and 30 March 2022, EULEX and EUKOJUST together with the Kosovo Justice Academy, organized a joint workshop for judges and prosecutors, especially the ones working in high-profile cases at the Special departments of the Basic Court Pristina and the Court of Appeal, and at the SPRK. The topic of the workshop was the protection needed and required for judges and prosecutors while dealing with corruption and other similar types of cases.

The topic raised a lot of interest for the participants, allowing a fruitful exchange of ideas and professional experiences. The first day of the workshop was dedicated to establishing the international and domestic legal basis for the support required, followed by identifying and thoroughly debating potential risks and threats the judges and prosecutors are or may be confronted with. During the second day, media representatives were invited for an in-depth discussion on the role media is playing in conveying various messages, while the rest of the day was dedicated to thorough debate regarding means and mechanisms to address the perceived threats.

EUKOJUST was glad to partner with EULEX in delivering this activity by moderating the workshop and providing solid professional expertise to the debates. Such inter-institutional cooperation within the EU-family was highly appreciated by all participants and will certainly continue in the future.

The needs and the benefits of mutual cooperation between the Kosovo Academy of Justice (KJA) and civil society in Kosovo were discussed in Pristina on Monday, 28 March 2022, at a workshop organized jointly by KJA and the EU Program for the Justice Sector, EUKOJUST.

The workshop aimed to discuss the foundation of a constructive coordination mechanism between the Academy of Justice and civil society organizations in delivering training and capacity-building activities in the rule of law area under Friends of the Academy umbrella.

In line with the approved Kosovo Rule of Law Strategy and Action Plan, EUKOJUST is facilitating the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between civil society organizations and Justice Academy. The MoU foresees using the experience and capacities of non-governmental organizations in promoting good practices for judges, prosecutors, and support staff in matters related to corruption, organized crime, and access to justice.

The event was attended by several NGOs representing every aspect of civil society and directly involved in monitoring the judiciary, including having an active role in providing comments to legislative initiatives. The civil society organizations attending the event such as, Kosovo Law Institute (KLI), Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN), Kosovo Democratic Institute (KDI), the Kosovar Gender Studies Center (KGSC), Advocacy Training and Resource Center (ATRC), Center for Social Group Development (CSGD), Centre for Equality and Liberty (CEL), Voice of Roma, Ashkali and Egyptians (VoRAE), Group for Legal and Political Studies (GLPS), responded positively to the call on being part of the new coordination mechanism, such as Friends of the Academy.

The drafting of the concept document for civil servants of the administrative staff of courts and prosecutor’s offices has entered an important stage. Representatives of relevant judicial system institutions assisted by experts from the EU-funded project on justice reform, EUKOJUST, provided a valuable contribution in advancing the work on the concept document, during a two-day workshop held in Peja.

Following an introductory session by the chair of the working group, Ruzhdi Osmani, and deputy chairs, Shkëlzen Maliqi, and Valdrin Krasniqi, the participants engaged into a substantial debate on the concept document, including the Definition of the problem – discussion of analysis and data collected by the working group; Discussion of the existing legal framework – including relevant policy papers, laws and sub-legal acts; Discussion and drafting of the part on causes and effects of the identified problems and inclusion of stakeholders; and Finalisation of the table with the existing legal and policy framework – institutions and their responsibilities over policy issues were analysed.

Under this activity EUKOJUST Project aims to help local institutions improve the managerial capabilities of the judiciary, including the administration of the Kosovo Prosecutorial Council and the Kosovo Judicial Council, Courts and Prosecution offices. Thus, this activity does not only cover the judges and prosecutors, but equally the staff providing administrative or otherwise support in the process of delivering justice.

An in-depth and substantive discussion on the Standards and Principles for Drafting of Legal Acts co-organized by the Legal Office of the Office of the Prime Minister and the EUKOJUST project took place on Monday, 28 February in Pristina.

The workshop addressed issues related to the constitutional interpretation of some concepts such as the concept of legal acts, their hierarchy, and their categorization. There was a broad discussion also over the dilemma of which authorities that can issue legal acts and in what capacity, if so.

The discussion took place at a time when Kosovo authorities are waiting for the draft law on legal acts. Several constitutional issues were also discussed, which are a precondition for the continuation of the work on drafting relevant manuals on the standards of legislation drafting.

EUKOJUST aims among others to provide assistance to the legal office within the office of the Prime Minister to finalise the draft of the administrative instructions on standards of drafting the legal acts.