On 23 February 2016, Group for Legal and Political Studies (GLPS) hosted a Panel Discussion on the topic: “Fight against Political Corruption in Kosovo: Current Challenges in the view of Future Reforms”, held at Swiss Diamond Hotel. This event served as an opportunity for the panelists and participants to examine the current state of affairs on this topic, the needs to be tackled, and plans to improve the current institutional performance and future reforms. Implementing an anti-corruption policy is a complex task for every institution in a transitional democracy like Kosovo, however often politically motivated reasons usually lead to ineffective responses that hamper but also weaken this battle. Among other issues, this Panel Discussion reflected upon the: a) institutional cooperation among relevant institutions on the fight against corruption; b) potential problems that hamper the implementation of the current action plans; c) issues relating to the responsibility and performance measurement of core rule-of-law institutions, and d) reforms necessary to increase the level of efforts and effectiveness towards fighting corruption in Kosovo. Panelist attending the event had the chance to thoroughly discuss the current challenges on the fight against political corruption from all levels, concentrating mostly on administrative, prosecutorial and judicial roles in this endeavor. Special emphasis was devoted to the Prosecutorial Council Strategic Plan as to increase the fight against corruption (2016-2018), and the judicial response to map and effectively judge corruption-related cases.

“Prosecutors and judges need to work hard to regain the public trust by pursuing corruption cases aggressively, and then securing convictions and sending violators to prison”, stated the Ambassador of the U.S in Kosovo, H.E Greg Delawie.

Furthermore, panelists agreed that Kosovo already has a consolidated legal framework for fight against corruption, but there is an immediate need for an enhanced inter-institutional cooperation and the involvement of civil society, media and public at large. Raising awareness through roundtables and discussion is very important in informing the citizens and ensuring their participation, as well as highlighting the lack of transparency and accountability as main principles in reducing corruption and ensuring a democratic system

Panelists in attendance:

H.E.  Mr. Greg Delawie – Ambassador, US Embassy;

Mr. Hajredin Kuçi – Minister, Ministry of Justice;

Mrs. Sevdije Morina – Deputy Chief State Prosecutor;

Mr.  Avdi Dinaj -President, Supreme Court;

Mr. Hasan Preteni – Director, Anti-Corruption Agency.

Venue: Swiss Diamond Hotel – Diamond Hall

“Mother Theresa” square, 10000, Prishtina, Kosovo