Recognition of the Law Rule Strategy is welcomed, connoisseur: Application Needed

The rule of law sector in the Republic of Kosovo faces various challenges, and this has contributed to the low public opinion trust in the institutions of the Republic of Kosovo. For this reason, the executive launched a functional review of the rule of law sector. According to the government, shortcomings in the judicial system, criminal justice, access to justice and non-trial and anticorruption services have been identified during this review, which led to the strategy adopted today.

Adopting this strategy has called it extraordinary as action, the director of the Kosovo Institute of Justice (IKD), Ehat Miftaraj, who says this strategy offers concrete actions that must be taken through constitutional changes or institutional in order to improve the aspect of rule of law.

Under the adoption of this strategy, Kosovo finally has a clear mirror regarding the situation in the rule of law sector in almost all areas, beginning with the judicial, prosecutorial system, criminal justice, administrative, civilian, the fight against organised crime and corruption of all areas affecting rule of law. This strategy can be said to be an extremely good step of adopting it because apart from identifying the problems Kosovo has in this area today, concrete measures and actions that must be taken either through constitutional changes or institutional in order to improve the situation Kosovo finds. The adoption of this strategy can be said to be only the first important phase to improve the rule of law and now remains and will depend on how much political will will will will be, the Parliament, the ruling party and other institutions like the KRK, the KKP to have co-ordination to approve all actions that were preceded”, Miftaraj said.

Miftaraj says this five-year strategy includes hundreds of actions which, if implemented within three or four years, can be observed.

And we can say that there are hundreds of actions that need to be taken, and if this is going to be done co-ordinatedly and based on what strategy we can say that for three or four years, access and how citizens perceive and see the justice system in Kosovo can change. [...] 0238 We can say that this strategy affects any area that might be connected with the approach that has to do with the citizen, where the treatment of their cases in criminal and administrative matters is undoubtedly within a reasonable deadline where citizens have major problems, this strategy also enters the integrity section where the process of vetoing”, he stressed.

The necessary initiative to approve this strategic has also considered the Group for Jury and Political Studies.

GLPS Bay Hoxha says the Law Rule Strategy 2021-2026 addresses the main problems of rule of law, so it requires that the institutions involved, but the government itself, be active in monitoring its implementation.

A strategy for resolving these problems has been more than necessary, the concrete strategy that has been adopted today addresses some of the major problems in rule of law, and the same has resulted from the process of functional reviewing the rule of law, and for the same thing, the approval is required that Government be active even in monitoring its implementation. In addition to implementing activities or the work plan that is envisioned in this strategy, we consider the impact that these concrete actions will have on the justice system as a whole should be measured. More precisely in courts and prosecutors, since it is considered that these are institutions that have the number of numerous problems”, Hoxha said.

Justice Minister Albulen Haxhiu after the Kosovo Government's meeting at a media conference said the Strategy for Rule of Law 2021-2026 contains clear targets linked to strengthening the judiciary, prosecution, criminal justice.

“Beyond this process have identified the problems of justice institutions, but security institutions have further been given concrete recommendations on how to address them and how to eliminate the problems we have in the justice and security system. The strategy contains strategic objectives directly related to strengthening the judiciary, but also the prosecution, empowering criminal justice, empowering access to justice and strengthening the fight against corruption... After this document will be the turn of the veto into the justice system”, she said.

The strategy for rule of law has been developed in co-operation with the KDP, KKP, the Academy of Justice, MPB, Anti-Corruption Agency, Kosovo Police and other local institutions, including civil society organisations and with the support of the European Union, American Embassy, British Embassy