OSCE Mission in Kosovo initiates dialogue on administrative justice

A two-day workshop on administrative justice for representatives of Kosovo’s Ministry of Local Government Administration, Ministry of Public Administration, the Association of Kosovo Municipalities, judges and representatives of judicial and civil service training institutions concluded on 16 December 2011 in Prishtinë/Priština.

It was organized by the OSCE Mission in Kosovo and the German Agency for International Co-operation to discuss the public administration’s adherence to principles of legality, transparency and accountability in decision making and to help draft over the next four weeks a set of recommendations on how to improve administrative justice implementation. 

Particular attention was paid to the right of individuals to appeal administrative decisions taken by central and local level institutions, for example building permits or business registration cases.

“Our monitoring indicates that the public administration often fails to comply with the administrative justice requirements, which in turn leads to a lack of public trust and dissatisfaction with the work of the institutions,” said Jared Hayes, the Acting Director of the OSCE Mission’s Democratization Department.

“This workshop aims to initiate a thorough institutional review and follow-up process on this matter, including through the recommendations which will be shared with all the participants of today’s seminar for their further consideration and implementation.”

Administrative law experts from Kosovo and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights contributed to the discussion on normative and human rights requirements.

“It is the first time since 2004 that key stakeholders, including practitioners such as judges in the field of administrative justice and administrative authorities, have come together to discuss in depth this important topic,” said Vjosa Nimani Zylfiu, Supreme Court Judge.

The OSCE Mission in Kosovo is mandated with democratic institution building. The workshop built upon the OSCE’s support to the central and local level administration in Kosovo to improve the quality of service delivery to residents.