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 Release of the fourth assessment of justice system of Kosovo*

On 1 March 2022, the Ministry of Justice officially launched the assessment report on the functioning of the Kosovo justice system. This report, based on CEPEJ methodology, is the fourth one of its kind, and the second one prepared by the Ministry of Justice, which shows that the Ministry and the institutions involved in collecting the data have now taken ownership of this methodology and make it more systematic.

Ms Albulena Haxhiu, Minister of Justice, Mr Albert Zogaj, Chairman of the Judicial Council, Mr Veton Shabani, Deputy Chairman of the Prosecutorial Council, Mr Behar Ejupi, President of the Bar Association, Ms Anita Kalanderi, Director of the Free Legal Aid Agency discussed the main findings of the report. In particular, the report shows that there have been positive developments in terms of length of proceedings and efficiency, particularly in criminal cases in appeal proceedings, while difficulties remain in civil cases. Another interesting finding is that number of staff directly assisting judge has increased significantly in all Kosovo courts and this is expected to have a positive impact on judicial performance and reduce the length of proceedings. Speaking about report, Ms Albulena Haxhiu, Minister of Justice stated, “It should be noted that this methodology [..]aims to analyze the functioning of judicial systems and guide public justice policies and achieve the best knowledge of judicial timeframes and optimize management”. Participants pointed out the need for close cooperation between the justice institutions to analyse and improve judicial efficiency.

The meeting was greeted by Mr Frank Power, Head of the Council of Europe Office, Mr Nicola Scaramuzzo, Team leader in the European Union Office, and Ms Muriel Decot, Secretary to the CEPEJ, online from Strasbourg.

The report is available here:

https://md.rks-gov.net/desk/inc/media/519C72A1-FEBB-4179-A615-9D8F752C69C7.pdf (English)

https://md.rks-gov.net/desk/inc/media/D301D920-3C02-4324-9180-FDDE588D771A.pdf (Albanian)

https://md.rks-gov.net/desk/inc/media/01D0916F-3088-470D-A53B-126D54039788.pdf (Serbian)

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.

* 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

Kosovo* 1 March 2022