OSCE Mission calls for full implementation of civil service reform, equitable representation of women and communities

PRISHTINË/PRIŠTINA, 22 February 2013 – Institutions in Kosovo should increase their efforts to fully implement civil service legislation and finalize the process of civil service reform, including the equitable representation of women and communities, say two OSCE reports issued today.

The first report provides an overview of the current status of implementation of legislation on the civil service and the Independent Oversight Board for Civil Service of Kosovo, while the second focuses on the representation of communities at the central and local levels.

“Institutions in Kosovo, especially the Ministry of Public Administration and municipalities, have made significant progress towards implementing civil service legislation, which outlines the steps that need to be taken to finalize the civil service reform and meet internationally recognized standards,” said the Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, Ambassador Jean-Claude Schlumberger.

“Delays in adopting relevant legislation, in offering permanent contracts to civil servants and in establishing personnel units in municipalities are, however, hampering the reform process. I am particularly concerned about under-representation of Kosovo Roma, Kosovo Ashkali and Kosovo Egyptians, as well as the inequitable representation of communities across the board.”

Schlumberger also noted that the Assembly of Kosovo should improve the law on the Independent Oversight Board to eliminate ambiguities about the executive nature of the Board’s decisions and to prescribe punitive measures for those who fail to comply with them.

The reports find that representation of communities at the central level is approximately two per cent short of the required ten per cent threshold, and that communities are inadequately represented in one third of assessed municipalities. Neither women nor communities are equitably represented in recruitment bodies.

The reports offer detailed recommendations to institutions on how to address the identified shortcomings. The full reports can be accessed at //www.osce.org/kosovo/99606 and //www.osce.org/kosovo/99601