On February 24, 2022, Group for Legal and Political Studies (GLPS) organized its first Annual Conference “PAR PROGRESS KOSOVO 2022” the Reform of Public Administration in Kosovo focusing on the topic: “PAR in Kosovo: Challenges, Progress and Path Forward”. The aim of the annual conference was to generate a wider expert-level debate on key aspects of PAR, challenges and potential solutions, by bringing together key institutional stakeholders, local and international experts, civil society and scholars.

PAR PROGRESS KOSOVO 2022 was divided into 5 panels and the debate was focused on the following topics: organization, functioning and accountability of public administration, management of public (civil) service and its efficiency to fulfill the tasks given on the basis of public authorizations, service delivery public including their modernization and digitalization, among others.

The first to address the public in the conference in the first opening panel was the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Mr. Albin Kurti. The Prime Minister Kurti stressed that the Public Administration Reform has a central role in the government’s program given its significance. Mr. Kurti argued that the ability of the state to achieve reforms and especially those in the public administration is a key step on the country’s EU integration path. Despite the legal advancement that has been made in 2021, the government has inherited many problems, he added. The PM concluded that the goal of the government is to establish an effective and reliable administration for the citizens.

At the same opening panel, the Head of the EU Office Mr. Tomas Szunyog was present. On his opening speech Mr. Szunyog argued that the EU agrees with the government on the importance of PAR in Kosovo. He added that the main key to good governance is a functioning administration and assessed that reform should be undertaken if the state of Kosovo aims at membership in the EU. Mr. Szunyog concluded that the EU does not support the law on administrative inspection because it weakens the efficiency of civil servants and has high costs for the Kosovo budget. On the opening panel among the panelists Mr. Gregor Virant, Head of SIGMA/OECD was invited. Mr. Virant unveiled the latest results of SIGMA assessment, noting that there is progress in the Western Balkans, however, efforts must continue. He argued that there is a need for a great political will and an awareness that PAR is a fundamental element in the EU integration road.

The conference continued with the second panel on the topic of “Organization, functioning and accountability of the state administration and independent agencies”. Present at this panel were Mrs. Bardha Rustemi – Political Advisor, Ministry of Internal Affairs; Mrs. Vlora SPANCA – Auditor General, CAO; Mr. Jesper JOHNSON – Senior Policy Advisor, SIGMA / OECD; and z. Dawid SZESCILO – Professor, University of Warsaw, Poland. The main point of discussion on this panel was the process of rationalization of state agencies and the framework that the government has been implementing towards this process. Additionally, the panel discussed the draft law on the second wave of agency rationalization, which is expected to rationalize several agencies in the upcoming period of the 2022.

The upcoming topic of the conference with the third panel was “Public service, professionalism, meritocracy and integrity of civil servants in Kosovo”. To discuss on this topic, the panel was composed by Mr. Bardhyl Dobra – Deputy Minister, MIA; Mr. Jeton KOCA – Chairman of the Independent Oversight Board for the Kosovo Civil Service (IOBCS); Mr. Bekim DEMIRI – Head of the Division for Salary Systematization and Human Resources Management, MIA; and virtually through zoom Mr. Zhani SHAPO, International Expert of Public Administration in Albania was present. The discussion was focused on the methods and models used by the Ministry of Internal Affairs to achieve meritocracy and transparency in the process of recruiting civil servants. The panel discussed the current situation of civil servants in Kosovo based on local and international research, but also on the experiences of the citizens.

The forth panel continued the discussion on the topic of “The salary system in Kosovo: Regulation, transparency and equity”. To discuss the salary system in Kosovo, GLPS invited the following panelists: Kushtrim Krasniqi, Political Advisor at MIA; Mr. Besnik TAHIRI – Member of Parliament and Member of the Committee on Public Administration, Assembly of Kosovo; Mr Francisco CARDONA – International Expert in Public Administration, joining virtually from zoom; and Mrs. Rreze HOXHA ZHUJA – Senior Researcher, GLPS. Initially, GLPS presented a policy report on the topic titled “The new Law on Salaries in Kosovo: what is missing, and what is needed to ensure an equal, efficient and non-discriminatory salary policy”. The debate followed on the argument that Kosovo has a fragmented salary system, which was established in 2000 through an UNMIK administrative instruction and there are currently 58 decisions regulating salaries in public institutions. The panel concluded that the adoption of a law that sets out the general principles and standards of a framework in the field of public sector is crucial.

The last panel’s main point of discussion was the “Improving the service delivery: simplification and digitalization”. To discuss around this topic, the panel was composed by Mr. Vedat SAGONJEVA – Director of the Office for Strategic Planning, Office of the Prime Minister of Kosovo; Mr. Wolfgang RUSCH – International Public Administration Expert; Mrs. Mikaela GRONQVIST – Good Governance Project Leader, EU Office in Kosovo; and Naser SHAMOLLI – Senior Researcher, GLPS. The discussion was focused on the government’s attempts to reduce the administrative burden, and the simplifying of the administrative burden as a good tool in preventing corruption. The panel concluded that the current procedures should not only be digitized, but simplification should be done before digitalization for a better implementation of the overall aim of the process.

Group for Legal and Political Studies (GLPS) engages in systematic monitoring of the implementation of the public administration reform (PAR) in Kosovo, providing a civil society perspective on the process. Over the years, the progress in reforming the public administration in Kosovo is evident, however, this progress is not sufficient due to the many challenges and obstacles encountered, and the way forward is challenging. Political instability and lack of willingness of various governments to deliver results, as well as the missing inter- institutional coordination has considerably hampered the process over the years, entailing major consequences for the country, both in terms of increasing efficiency of the administration, as well as in the EU integration path of Kosovo.

Considering the importance of PAR and the dynamics required to achieve solid progress, through PAR PROGRESS KOSOVO ANNUAL CONFERENCE, GLPS aims to generate a wider expert-level debate on key aspects of PAR, challenges and potential solutions, by bringing together key institutional stakeholders, local and international experts, civil society and scholars. The Annual Conference will become a yearly tradition, aiming to provide a sophisticated platform for the PAR process in Kosovo.

Venue: Hotel Emerald (Strauss 1 Hall), 10000 Prishtina, Kosovo