Szunyog eye Kurt: The government ignored our comments, reform in the Public Administration, key to the EU

The group for Jury and Political Studies (GLPS) has held the annual conference “Kosovo Progress 2023” in which the importance of reform in the Public Administration was discussed.

The discussion focused on public administration reforms and how many Kosovo institutions are coping with the burden of EU integration processes.

At this conference, the EU Office in Kosovo voiced opposition to the adoption of two Laws; to the Law for the Peace and Law for Public Officials.

The chief of the EU Office in Kosovo, Thomas Szynyog, criticised the Kosovo government for not taking into account the EU's comments about the Law for the Salat and the Law for Public Officials.

He said the EU does not comply with the rapid procedure that these laws have been made and that they have not consulted the interest parties.

The “Reform in public administration is a key key key key to joining the EU, where quality services are offered to citizens and businesses. Two approvals made last year as far as the Law on Salaries and the Law on Public Officials is concerned, I want to take a stand against it. We don't agree that these laws are in rapid procedure. They have to consult interest parties anymore, and this has not been done. These civil society consultations have had to be made. The new law for public officials relates to the principles of public administration”.

“Public officials put them at a risk of corruption and political influence. The new law will not create conditions to recruit people into these free positions. As far as the salary law is concerned, it is good to exist, however, it has to be decided after organising public administration. This reform is for a long time, as the EU, we will continue to monitor the reform of public administration”, he said.

While Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti has said that during his rule, pay unification in the public system has become the first time in Kosovo.

During the annual conference of the Group for Jury and Political Studies (GLPS) “Kosovo Progress 2023<2> on Tuesday, Kurti has said that with the Law for the Salaries, which entered into force at the beginning of this month, the gap between the highest pay and the lowest pay has declined drastically.

With the law's entry into force for salaries in the public sector, in the Republic of Kosovo for the first time, we have a unified wage system in the public system, and drastic inequality is being avoided in the past. The difference between the highest pay and the lowest of the 20 it once was now dropped to only 4,70 times. We have a salary increase of 105m euros”, Kurti said.

He has said local and foreign reports have shown in the past that there is politicisation in different processes, lack of professionalism, accountability and measurement of performance.

In the past years local and international reports have found these four findings that we need to address with urgency. With these phenomena and shortages that have conveyed our administration over the years the trust of citizens has waned over public institutions. This then on the chain effect has caused inefficiency. This has been the incentive for the government to show full political will to address the challenges of reforming public administration in Kosovo”, he added.

Serbian Loxja Stublla, executive director of GLPS, said that reform in public administration is the fundamental process for states aimed at membership in the European Union.

The second year that GPL is organising this conference, which is for public administration reforms. This year we have tried to address topics that are challenging, administration reform is one of the fundamental processes of states aimed at EU integration. These processes define what makes the administration effective for citizens and for the state budget”, she said.