Democratic institutions in Kosovo, though functional, are still developing. The OSCE Mission helps them apply and safeguard good governance and human rights principles in their daily work.

At the central level, the Mission supports the functioning of the Assembly of Kosovo and of the independent institutions. It also actively supports political parties’ development.

Assembly support

The OSCE has supported the work of the Assembly of Kosovo since its inception in 2002. The Mission works to ensure that Assembly procedures are respected and that all Assembly bodies, particularly the Presidency and the committees, are operational and transparent in accordance with good governance principles.

As a result of the Mission's involvement, the Assembly has introduced government question time, public hearings, inquiries, and policy debates. It has supported selected Assembly committees in drafting annual work plans and in reviewing draft legislation. Moreover, the Mission has contributed to the Assembly’s first strategic plan, which provides a roadmap for its further development.

To enhance the Assembly's oversight capacity, the Mission advises relevant Assembly committees and facilitates the exchange of best practices with parliaments from the region and EU member states. Following parliamentary best practices, the Mission also supports community, women and youth caucuses in their efforts to improve communication with their constituents and to better represent their interests. To increase the overall transparency and accountability of the Assembly, the Mission encourages civil society actors’ participation in the Assembly proceedings.  

Another important goal for the Mission is to ensure respect of community interests. In this regard, the Mission works to strengthen the capacity of non-Albanian parliamentary groups to increase their legislative and oversight input in the work of the Assembly.

To help improve the overall performance of the Assembly, the Mission continues to support the senior management of its Secretariat by providing expertise on media relations, planning and professional development. Moreover, it continues to build the capacity of the Assembly Research Team and its Legal Office to increase their legal research capacity. This support recently led to the production of the Assembly’s first legal research publication.

Political party development

The Mission assists political parties in enhancing their internal democracy. It stresses the importance of implementing laws related to political parties’ financing, and of increasing their outreach to the public. The Mission also encourages political parties to adhere to procedures of transparent financing and distribution of resources, as a way of increasing accountability.

Supporting independent institutions

Since 1999, the Mission has helped establish and develop a number of independent institutions, including the Kosovo Judicial Institute; the Independent Media Commission; the Central Election Commission; the Ombudsperson institution; and the Independent Oversight Board for Civil Service of Kosovo.

The Mission has since assisted the institutions by building their operational capacities and by safeguarding their independence from undue political influence. This has helped ensure their impartiality and mandate implementation. Through its technical support and advocacy, the Mission continues to strengthen the relations between the independent institutions and the Assembly of Kosovo. The institutions report to the Assembly, while the Assembly guarantees their financial independence and secures the government's compliance with their decisions and recommendations. 

The Mission provides assistance to the Independent Oversight Board for the Civil Service of Kosovo, a body which adjudicates appeals filed by civil servants and the public against hiring and firing practices in the civil service.

Mission support to the Ombudsperson institution now also focuses on providing technical support to the institution’s professional staff. The aim is to enhance the delivery of their services, including, investigations into alleged human rights violations and abuses of authority by public institutions, provision of legal services, issuing of reports, and public advocacy.