Strengthening the Quality and Efficiency of Justice in Kosovo* (KoSEJ II)

May 2019 - December 2022

The activities are implemented in the framework of the European Union/Council of Europe joint programme Horizontal Facility of the Western Balkans and Turkey II co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe.

An earlier phase of this programme (July 2016 - May 2019) was supported by the European Union.

The objectives of the Action

The overall objective of the KoSEJ II Action is to continue to improve the day-to-day functioning of the justice system in Kosovo by strengthening its efficiency and quality in accordance with European standards. It provides concrete and targeted support to courts and central authorities by empowering them with the methodology and tools of the European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) in light also of the recommendations made under the first phase of Action (KoSEJ).

The first specific objective is to ensure that the judiciary works with more reliable and specific statistics in light of KoSEJ recommendations and is empowered to address challenges to the efficiency of justice with CEPEJ standards and tools. This shall include the establishment of a sustainable and consistent methodology and process of data collection and analysis for sound policy making, including with reliable statistics in the new case management system.

The second specific objective is to improve the quality of its services in accordance with CEPEJ standards and tools such as with the use of CEPEJ satisfaction surveys and court coaching projects to address weaknesses identified by users.

The third specific objective is to assist the Kosovo Justice Academy (KJA) improve its training capacities in efficiency and quality according to CEPEJ tools and methodology.

Main beneficiaries and partners

Ministry of Justice, Kosovo Judicial Council, Kosovo Prosecutorial Council, Kosovo Justice Academy, Kosovo Bar Association, Courts and Courts’ users.

* This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence".

Link to the page: Towards a better evaluation of the results of judicial reforms in the Western Balkans – “Dashboard Western Balkans“

Assessment reports

First report: In-depth assessment report (English, Albanian, Serbian)
Second Report: Comparative assessment (2014 – 2017) (English / Albanian / Serbian)
Third Report: Comparative assessment (2014, 2017 and 2018)
Fourth report: Comparative Assessment (2014 – 2020) (English, Albanian, Serbian)
IT Report: Information Technology in courts in 2020 (English, Albanian, Serbian)

Translations of CEPEJ documents

CEPEJ glossary (in Albanian / in Serbian)
Councils for Judiciary in EU Countries

Contacts

Council of Europe - Strasbourg

Bureau du Conseil de l'Europe à Pristina (Kosovo)

Stéphanie Lefeuvre

Project manager

Njomza Carkaxhiu
Project assistant

News

Back CEPEJ court users’ satisfaction surveys as a self-assessment tool of management in Kosovo* courts

In January 2022, court user’s satisfaction surveys will be launched in the courts of Pristina, Peja and Mitrovica. The surveys will enable courts to use the feedback of court users as to identify strengths and weaknesses in the courts’ functioning. The Kosovo Judicial Council (KJC) considers satisfaction surveys as an important activity to improve the quality of court services.

Steering Committees have been established in the three courts, involving the Court Presidents, court administrators, and information officers to discuss in particular the questionnaire and the best options to collect data, including through face-to-face interviews. The questionnaire was designed based on the model questionnaire included in the CEPEJ Handbook for conducting court users’ satisfaction surveys, adopted in December 2016. The survey will be administered by the Kosovo Law Institute (KLI), a non-governmental organisation specialized in the justice sector in Kosovo. Similar surveys were conducted in 2018. The report on previous surveys and results are available here: https://rm.coe.int/analysis-of-the-results-of-the-court-users-and-lawyers-satisfaction-su/16808d3c3b

This activity is organised by the KoSEJ II Action “Strengthening the Quality and Efficiency of Justice in Kosovo”, which is part of the joint programme entitled "Horizontal Facility of the Western Balkans and Turkey II", co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe and implemented by the Council of Europe.