On 10 April 2013, Group for Legal and Political Studies held a Panel Discussion on the following topic: ‘For a professional and independent civil service in Kosovo: Challenges with the job classification in the civil service and the establishment of mechanisms for performance evaluation’. The Panel Discussion opened with the presentation of a new GLPS Policy Report, written by Ms. Shqipe Hajredini, Non-Resident Research Fellow at the Group, entitled “Civil Service Reform in Kosovo: A Debate on Concepts, Strategies and Developments”. The Policy Report provides an overview of the legal and institutional transformation of the civil service in Kosovo from its establishment in 2000, examining the core principles and institutions under both, the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) and those that characterized the post-independence civil-service landscape. The Report examines the development of the civil service system after the independence of Kosovo, focusing on the key reforms introduced. It highlights the “European agenda” as one of the incentives for restructuring the civil service system in Kosovo. It also draws attention to the current regulatory framework on civil service; identifies its strengths and weaknesses, highlights the changes introduced in terms of the senior public appointments and oversight mechanisms, as well as career development and performance appraisal. There were a number of key discussion points during the Panel Discussion including the classification of positions within Kosovo civil service, the new performance evaluation and career development model, which highlighted a number of apparent policy implications and institutional challenges associated with both processes. The Policy Report could be downloaded by clicking here.

Panelists in Attendance:

1. Mr. Fisnik Korenica, Group for Legal and Political Studies;
2. Mr. Naser Shamolli, Director, Department of Legal Affairs, Ministry of Public Administration;
3. Mr. Nexhat Jashari, Director, Department of Human Resources Management, Assembly of Kosovo;
4. Mr. Agron Maxhuni, Director, Department of Legal Affairs, Ministry of Local Government Administration;
5. Ms. Sabile Beha-Bajrami, Kosovo Judicial Council;
6. Mr. Mërgim Lushtaku, Director, Department of European Integration and Policy Coordination, Ministry of Public Administration;
7. Mr. Bujar Thaci, Program Manager, Kosovo Institute for Public Administration;
8. Representatives for the Ministry of European Integration and the Secretariat of the Task Force for European Integration (the Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GiZ)).

 Moderated by:

Mr. Dren Doli, Group for Legal and Political Studies

“This project/activity is funded by Democratic Society Promotion (DSP) project ‐ financed by Swiss Cooperation Office Kosovo (SCO‐K) and managed by Kosovar Civil Society Foundation (KCSF)”