OSCE Mission in Kosovo

Since 1999, the Mission has continuously monitored and reported on the work of the judiciary in Kosovo, the only international body to do so. The goal of this work is to help ensure the independence, impartiality and accountability of the justice system in Kosovo.

The OSCE's legal experts verify whether the work of the Kosovo judiciary is in compliance with the legislation and international human rights standards, and flag areas where this is not the case. Their reports are then used as a basis for workshops organized by the Mission for judges, prosecutors and lawyers to help remedy the identified shortcomings.

Additionally, the reports are incorporated into the curriculum of the Kosovo Judicial Institute, which provides mandatory 15-month education programmes for law professionals. The Institute was established by the Mission in 2000 and was the first training centre for legal practitioners in Kosovo. Over time, it evolved into a legal training institution and a lifelong learning centre for legal professionals already in office.

The Kosovo judiciary has to deal with a considerable overload of law suits. To ease this pressure on the judiciary and have administrative disputes resolved by municipalities and ministries before they reach the courts, the Mission supports the Kosovo Institute for Public Administration in running training on the Law on Administrative Procedure and other relevant legislation. The goal is to educate municipal officials, as well as civil society representatives and legal staff in ministries, on how to resolve disputes and what to advise private or legal persons that seek legal remedy from a public institution on issues such as granting or denying of a construction permit or a rejected business registration.