Life in Kosovo discusses about emergency situations
Tonight, Life in Kosovo will broadcast a debate on the emergency situations in our country.
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Every Thursday starting from 20:30, Radio Television Kosovo, RTK, broadcasts the TV debate show "Life in Kosovo", a joint production of BIRN and RTK.
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Life in Kosovo interviews US ambassador Christopher Dell
18 February 2010 Life in Kosovo broadcast an exclusive interview with the US ambassador to Kosovo, Christopher Dell, on the achievements of, and challenges for, Kosovo since its declaration of independence.
Host Jeta Xharra began the show with an interview with the head of the Kosovo Anticorruption Agency, Hasan Preteni, on fighting corruption and organised crime. Mr Preteni claimed that it cannot be argued whether or not there is corruption in Kosovo, as it “is present everywhere”, and thus energy should be focused on how to eliminate it.
He continued by saying that few actions have been taken by the state, however, because his agency was only created in late 2006.
After this, Xharra interviewed the United States’ ambassador in Kosovo, Christopher Dell, about corruption in Kosovo.
Starting by mentioning the recent second anniversary of Kosovo’s independence, Mr Dell said that Kosovo has a “solid record of accomplishment.
Not only did Kosovo declare independence and embrace the Ahtisaari comprehensive settlement plan, but [it has] passed a new constitution. [Kosovo has] been recognised by 65 countries, [and has] joined the World Bank and the IMF. Relations with most of [Kosovo’s] neighbours have improved and are improving every day.”
Mr Dell continued: “[Kosovo’s] institutions are functioning. Parliament is passing laws; the government is acting. I’ve just come from a ceremony where President Sejdiu has sworn in the re-vetted Supreme Court Justices and Prosecutors.
I think all of this reflects a really significant set of accomplishments in a short period of time.
I think where there might be room for regret is that unfortunately -- and this is not Kosovo’s fault -- relations with [its] largest neighbour are not what they should be. Obviously, we have a lot more work to do with respect to issues like the rule of law in Kosovo.”
When asked who is responsible for the last two year’s of stability in Kosovo, Mr Dell replied that it was “the country as a whole -- it’s a partnership. I think the government deserves credit. The leadership deserves credit. Also, Kosovo’s international partners have contributed.”
Looking to the future, he said: “our watchword now is ‘maturity’. As the country gets older, it needs to mature, take on increasing responsibilities”.
Asked whether he understands how Kosovo’s young people feel about political parties, Mr Dell said that it would be arrogant of him to claim to do so. However, he said that: “I think that their willingness to enter into the parties or to form new parties will be ultimately a reflection of whether or not they believe that the system is working... and whether the system provides them opportunities, and if they join in will it make a difference.”
At the Justice Day celebrations on January 16, Mr Dell had stated that “corruption, violence and abuse go without redress in Kosovo”. Xharra asked Mr Dell what he had meant by this.
Mr Dell responded that he had meant that in any democracy truly based on the rule of law, those in power are held accountable to the law. In such a system, leaders are “not above the law.
They’re not special, and they’re not different. They’re like you and me and everybody else. They have to answer to the law.
I don’t think it’s any secret when I say that we all know that corruption is one of the challenges this country faces. And yet in ten years, to the best of my knowledge, no senior person not even a middle-ranking leader -- has ever been convicted on a corruption charge. I think that fact is noticed by the people here.”
Mr Dell clearly stated that the rule of law is based on three things: “demand for justice from the people; access to justice, including the existence of functioning courts in a system people believe is fair; and ensuring that leadership is not above the law”.
Mr Dell then said that “institutions have been playing ping pong with election results, and not facing up to their responsibilities. So it’s hard to say more until such a time as the institutions take a clear stance. I’m speaking about the Supreme Court and the Electoral Court. They really need to make some clear decisions, instead of continuing to pass responsibility back and forth.”
Mr Dell was asked whether he thinks that those involved in the electoral process have been fair. He repliedthat “the process was very good. It doesn’t mean that there were no problems or flaws. There are problems and flaws in every election.
In the United States and throughout Western Europe, there are problems like this. It was a good process,” adding that the problem has been “the inability to conclude satisfactorily and move on.”
Asked to look forward to politics later in 2010, Mr Dell said “there is a really significant legislative agenda that the government wants to move through parliament -- all of which is designed to enhance [Kosovo’s] prospects of moving towards membership in the European Union.”
He continued by saying the government’s stability must be “grounded ultimately on the underlying political reality,” and that “if the political reality has changed to such an extent that the current coalition can’t remain together, then it would be foolish to insist that they stay together. “
In conclusion, Mr Dell said: “I don’t see anything that indicates that there is any need to rush to early elections at this point. The coalition seems to be working well together, despite distresses and strains.”
Following the interviews, BIRN researcher Petrit Kryeziu introduced a story about a judge who stepped down after being appointed to the Supreme Court of Kosovo. Finally, in the ‘Week’s Highlight’ report, Petrit Çollaku looked at some recent successes by the Kosovo Police.
Life in Kosovo is a co-production between Kosovo Public Television, RTK and the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, BIRN. It is broadcast every Thursday, starting at 20:20.
THE PROCESS OF JUDICIAL APPOINTMENTS AND REAPPOINTMENTS OF JUDGES AND PROSECUTORS
The report on the process of judicial appointments and reappointments analysis the flow of this process, specifically focusing on the bright and dark sides that have marred the process to its final stages.
COURT MONITORING ANNUAL REPORT APRIL 2010 - FEBRUARY 2011
Court monitoring report is published as a result of a continuous monitoring of all municipal and districts courts of Kosovo. The findings of this report are based on the monitoring of 2,147 court hearings, by BIRN monitors.
THE PROCESS OF JUDICIAL APPOINTMENTS
This report presents the results of part of BIRN's court monitoring project, specifically on the process for the appointment and reappointment of judges and prosecutors.
Follow the Paper Trail
\"Follow the Paper Trail\", a guide to document-based journalism in Kosovo, explains relevant laws, access to public documents, how to publish safely, where to find databases on investigative journalism, and how to locate documents online through various search engines.
Courts Monitoring Report 2010
A detailed analytical report about the work and administration of the courts in Prishtina, Peja, Prizren, Gjilan, Mitrovica, Ferizaj, Gjakova, Decan, Vushtrri, Poduleva, Lipjan, Klina and Istog. The report contains important information, collected by the network of monitors, placed in the major municipalities of Kosovo and aims to identify the key problems and issues that the justice system in Kosovo is facing.
REPORT: Monitoring the Courts 2009
Monitoring the work and administration of courts in Prishtina, Peja, Mitrovica, Gjilan, Ferizaj, Vushtrri and Skenderaj.
DIRECTLY ELECTED MAYOR SYSTEM IN LOCAL GOVERNANCE
The report on Directly Elected mayor System in Local Governance aims to provide a critical overview of the rationale and feasibility of the implementation of a municipal governance system that places the mayor as the central executive figure, during the third year of its application. The efficiency of this system was assessed based on the following pillars: the relationship between local government bodies, accountability of the municipal executive, respect for the law, the link between the mayor and the citizens, provision of public services (water supply and waste management, capital investments (in school and road projects)), level of transparency, public consultation and citizen participation in decision-making.
BIRN Report on Monitoring the Education System
Report on monitoring the elementary and high schools in Prishtina: Mitrovica, Ferizaj, Peja and Gjilan
Analytical report of the situation and the problems in the University of Prishtina
Report on Kosovo`s Healthcare System
Monitoring report on all primary, secondary and tertiary (University Clinical Center of Kosovo, UCCK) healthcare institutions in Pristina, Prizren, Peja, Mitrovica, Gjilan, Ferizaj, Gjakova, Klina, Decan, Istog and Vushtrri.
Situation and the Problems at the University of Prishtina
Analytical report of research into the standards and problems at the University of Prishtina. Ten years since the end of the war in Kosovo, the University of Prishtina (UP) continues to suffer from a variety of problems, resulting in persistently low quality courses being offered. For this reason, BIRN conducted research into the problems faced by UP students. The data gathered suggests that, out of the many issues reported, the most significant are: the non-implementation of contemporary teaching and assessment methods, the lack of practical work for students, the lack of appropriate academic literature, arbitrary assessments by
professors and generally poor relationships between students and their professors.
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The opinions expressed in Balkan Insight are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network.
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