Joint Rule of Law Coordination Board
Joint Rule of Law Coordination Board (The Board)
21 November 2018 - 10.00 -12.00
EULEX Headquarters
Conference Room 104/105, First floor
JOINT CONCLUSIONS
Ms. Alexandra Papadopoulou (Head of Mission, EULEX)
Ms. Nataliya Apostolova (Head of EU Office/EU Special Representative)
Mr. Abelard Tahiri (Minister of Justice, MoJ)
Mr. Nehat Idrizi (Kosovo Judicial Council Chair, KJC)
Mr. Blerim Isufaj (Kosovo Prosecutorial Council, KPC)
Joint conclusion 1: Release of the 2018 Compact Progress Report
The Board released the last Compact Progress Report, as presented by the JRCB Secretariat.
Joint Conclusion 2: Update on the JRCB Roadmaps
The Board took note of the status of the JRCB Roadmaps, presented by the EULEX Head of Mission, and recognised the need for their full implementation. As this would be the final meeting of the Board, the Ministry of Justice committed to continuing the implementation of the JRCB Roadmaps under the Justice 2020 initiative.
Joint conclusion 3: EULEX’s new mandate
The EULEX Head of Mission presented the new mandate of EULEX in the context of the Kosovo justice system and the Mission’s reconfiguration. The Minister of Justice welcomed the new mandate of EULEX, looking forward to future cooperation through the Justice 2020 agenda in particular.
Joint Conclusion 4: Functional Review of the Rule of Law sector
The Board welcomed the progress made in the Functional Review of the Rule of Law sector, which has now reached the end of the analysis stage. Due to the concern that the Functional Review might delay the adoption of the draft Law on Anti-Corruption Agency and the draft Law on Declaration and Origin of the Property and Gifts of Senior Public Officials, which are of crucial importance in the fight against corruption and organised crime - an EU priority for Kosovo - the EUSR and Minister of Justice agreed to find a compromise so as not to slow down the implementation of the European Reform Agenda.
Joint conclusion 5: Introduction of Justice 2020
The Minister of Justice presented the Justice 2020 initiative, to be carried out in close coordination with the Kosovo Judicial Council and Kosovo Prosecutorial Council, and with the support of the EUSR/EUO, EULEX, US Embassy and British Embassy. The Board agreed to coordinate reform efforts in relevant rule of law areas under the Justice 2020 initiative in the future.
Joint Conclusion 6: Anti-corruption package of laws
The Minister of Justice presented the significant progress made in the process of adopting laws related to fighting corruption and organised crime. The Board welcomed the progress made in this regard, while the EUSR emphasised the importance that remaining laws are passed, especially those in the second reading.
Joint Conclusion 7: Judiciary
The Chairs of the Kosovo Judicial and Prosecutorial Councils provided detailed updates on the progress made in increasing the number of judges, prosecutors and administrative staff in their respective areas. In response, EULEX Head of Mission welcomed the efforts made to increase the number of prosecutors in the Special Prosecution of Kosovo, while underlining that additional prosecutors will still be required given that EULEX has handed over a large number of case files to local authorities.
The EUSR informed about the ongoing preparations with regard to the 2019 Kosovo Report, thanking everyone for the contributions made. In this regard, she welcomed the approval of laws as part of the “Justice Package,” given that a lot of work has been done in this area. She also congratulated the Minister of Justice for the continuous efforts made in implementing rule of law-related requirements of the European Reform Agenda
