Kosovo for the first time at Venice Commission meeting

Since declaring independence to the Republic of Kosovo and membership in the Venice Commission since 2014, for the first time, an official Kosovo delegation took part in the 115th journal session of the Venice Commission regarding the completion of the Law for Financing Political Entity and the Law for General Elections.

This meeting comes after Republic of Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj, through a letter sent to this Commission on April 16th, has officially requested judicial opinion concerning the change and implementation of the Law on Financing Political Entity and the Law for General Elections.

According to a Government communiqué, the purpose of amendments to Kosovo's regulatory framework on financing political subjects is to ensure greater transparency of financing and spending, to establish an effective audit system, and to improve accountability through publishing financial reports of political entities. These efforts are the continuation of Kosovo's fight against corruption and increased public sector transparency.

The recommendations given by Venice Commission Rapporteurs are positive and in line with Kosovo's vision to reinforce legislation even further, one of the preconditions of the EU integration process. All provisions of relevant laws will be harmonised according to recommendations provided by the Venice Commission. The drafting of the bill and other procedural activities is strongly supported by the UNDP's SAEK project and the Westminster” Foundation, said the communique.

The delegation of the Republic of Kosovo consists of Mentor Borovci, director of the Legal Office at the Office of Prime Minister, Jahja Luka, adviser to Kosovo Prime Minister and Arben Krasniqi, director of the Government Co-ordination Secretariat.