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 First online training needs assessment survey at the Justice Academy in Kosovo*

On 23 May 2020, the Director of the Academy and the heads of the initial and continuous training programmes held an online meeting with the CEPEJ expert, Ms Marina Naumovska, to prepare the implementation of a training needs assessment survey, which will be for the first time conducted online. The objective of the survey was to ask court presidents, judges, and court staff what they see as the most important needs in order to improve court efficiency. Based on the results, the training curriculum of the Academy will be further improved to include CEPEJ tools and methodology. The participants discussed the questionnaires, the platform, and the future preparation of a report analyzing the information collected. The implementation of this survey will serve as a pilot exercise to enable the Academy, from then on, to conduct online training needs assessment on a regular basis on specific topics, which is a great step forward.

This activity has been implemented in the framework of the EU/CoE joint programme Horizontal Facility of the Western Balkan and Turkey II, II Action “Strengthening the Quality and Efficiency of Justice in Kosovo” co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe and implemented by the Council of Europe.

*All references to Kosovo, whether to its territory, institutions or population in this text shall be understood in full compliance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 and without prejudice to the status of Kosovo.