Recica i PDK: Vetevendosje is trying to put their man in the Agency for Information and Private

The recipe, which is part of the Parliamentary Commission for Security and Protection Affairs of the Parliament, has said that this decision represents violating the previous practices of the Parliament and that it is dangerous for our democracy.

The decision of the Parliamentary Commission for Security and Protection Affairs of the Republic of Kosovo, on the 20,04.2021s, to open the competition for selection of the Agency for Information and Private Affairs is illegal, as the entire parliamentary commission is transformed into a rating panel, respectively. This decision poses violations of the current parliamentary practice, bypasses the memorandum of co-operation the Republic's Parliament has done with the British Embassy, and expresses the goal of the ruling party to place their own man in this independent agency.”, it has written on its Facebook profile, the Periscope broadcasts.

On the other hand, Recica has stressed that the VV is also bypassing the memorandum with the Great Britain Embassy, which concerns recruiting senior leadership positions and independent agencies.

Full post of PDK MP:

The decision by the Parliamentary Commission for Security and Protection Issues of the Republic of Kosovo on 20,04.2021 for the opening of the competition for the selection of the Agency for Information and Private Commission is illegal, as the entire parliamentary commission is transformed into a assessment panel, respectively.

This decision poses violations of the current parliamentary practice, bypasses the memorandum of co-operation the Republic's Parliament has made with the British Embassy, and expresses the goal of the ruling party to place their own man in this independent agency.

Such a practice which is trying to install by the ruling party is dangerous to our democracy, because it aims to overturn even the current parliamentary practice with the aim of overplacing any selective process in the commissions.

This is unacceptable because Independent Agencies, according to the Constitution, Law No.06/ L- 113 for organising and functioning of the State Administration and Independent Agencies and Law No.06/ L- 082 for Personal Data Protection are independent authorities.

The ruling party's goal is to influence candidates' assessments selectively and politically and professionally.

This decision seriously challenges the constitutional values of the Republic, guaranteed with the country's Constitution and the European Convention on the Protection of Human Rights and Freedoms and its Protocols, which is an international instrument that applies directly to our judicial system.

The procedure to select the Commissioner for Information and Privateity is determined under Law No. 06/ L- 082 for the Protection of Personal Data, Article 60, paragraph 4, which says: “After the expiration of the set deadlines in this article (which speaks of deadlines), the selection panel, set by the parliamentary Commission for Security of the Republic of Kosovo, within the 15-15 days deadline, estimates whether candidates meet the conditions for selecting commissioner”.

So this paragraph speaks of a selective panel that is appointed by the parliamentary commission. Therefore, what the Parliamentary Commission has established for Security and Defence Affairs at the collection of 20,04.2021 is contrary to this law.

There can and there is no judicial logic that the same organ, which is competent to appoint a selective panel for selecting candidates, will also carry out the role of the panel. In other terms, the commission has named itself!

The interpretation also empowers paragraph 6 of this law, under which it says: ” Selective Panel, the candidate list is handed over to the commission, which, the narrow list, proposes to the Kosovo Assembly”.

So, the selection panel, appointed by the parliamentary commission, gives the latter the candidate list.

The decision is also contrary to the parliamentary practice of the Republic Assembly and the Commission for Security and Defence Affairs. In no case, this commission has not appointed all its members as the selective panel for interviewing and evaluation of candidates.

On the three times when the commissioner's election was attempted, the panel has been composed of a representative of parliamentary groups on the commission. Not the whole commission.

The concern also constitutes the bypass of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Republic of Kosovo's Parliament and the British Embassy in Kosovo, signed in 02.07.2020, with the aim of including the British Embassy in the process of recruiting top leadership positions and independent agencies, in which the Agency for Information and Privates also participates.

According to this memorandum, Kosovo's Assembly pledges to implement the recommendations of the implementing partner (The British Embassy). This memorandum also envisions the selective panel reflecting gender diversity and monitoring the process by NGOs.

The importance of the British Embassy's involvement in the process is highlighted by civil society, naming their involvement very important.

The Folo “Republika's Movement Report on Functioning the Agency for Infromation and Privatisation”, November of last year, notes, among other things, that the <x2 experts committed by the British Embassy have made extraordinary and extremely professional contributions in the entire process of valuing candidates for commissioners.

This contribution is especially expressed in preparations held for the British experts' selection panel before each interview, while each of the candidates has been assessed by the selective panel on one side, and by British experts on the other”.

The violation of this memorandum and this pledge by the Republic of Kosovo's Parliament tells of the ruling party's tourism to capture an institution as important to the judicial security of Kosovo citizens, such as the Agency for Information and Private.

Therefore, the process of selecting the Agency for Information and Privates' commissioner has been compromised from the beginning.