Life in Kosovo discusses the boards of public enterprises
This Thursday, Life in Kosovo broadcasts a debate on the performance of the boards of public enterprises.
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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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Special package: Kosovo Final Status
Main Points of Ahtisaari Plan Revealed
01 February 2007
BIRN has
obtained a key section of UN special envoy Martti Ahtisaari's Kosovo final
status proposal, dealing with the political settlement for the entity. The
principal elements of this excerpt of the 60-page document, which includes
annexes, are as follows:
* Kosovo shall adopt a constitution that
shall prescribe the legal and institutional mechanisms for the protection,
promotion, and enforcement of human rights of all persons in Kosovo.
* Kosovo shall have the right to negotiate
and conclude international agreements, including the right to seek membership
of international organisations.
* Kosovo shall have its own, distinct,
national symbols, including a flag, seal and anthem, reflecting its
multi-ethnic character.
* Kosovo shall have no territorial claims
against, and shall seek no union with, any state or part of any state.
* The international community shall
supervise, monitor and have all necessary powers to ensure effective and
efficient implementation of this settlement.
* Kosovo shall establish a comprehensive
and gender-sensitive approach for dealing with its past, which shall include a
broad range of transitional justice initiatives.
* Inhabitants belonging to the same
national or ethnic, linguistic, or religious group traditionally present on the
territory of Kosovo shall have specific rights.
* Kosovo and Serbia shall, in accordance with
domestic and international norms and standards, take all measures necessary to
determine and provide information regarding identities, whereabouts, and fate
of missing persons.
* Municipalities in Kosovo shall have the
right to inter-municipal and cross-border cooperation on matters of mutual
interest in the exercise of their responsibilities.
* New municipal boundaries shall be
delineated in accordance with the Attachment to Annex III of this settlement
(BIRN has not obtained the annexes).
* The Serbian Orthodox Church in Kosovo,
SOC, including its clergy and their affiliates, activities and property shall
be afforded additional security and other protections for the full enjoyment of
its rights, privileges and immunities, as set forth in Annex V of this
settlement.
* Immovable and movable property of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia or the Republic of Serbia
located within the territory
of Kosovo at the time of
this settlement shall pass to Kosovo.
* Claims regarding private immovable
property, including agricultural and commercial property, shall continue to be
addressed, where appropriate, by the Kosovo Property Agency, KPA, who shall
address property restitution issues, including those related to the SOC, as a
matter of priority.
* Kosovo and the Republic of Serbia
shall strive to settle directly any claims between them, which are not
otherwise addressed by this settlement, by mutual agreement, taking into
account relevant international norms and standards.
* Except as otherwise provided in this
settlement, Kosovo shall have authority over law enforcement, security,
justice, public safety, intelligence, civil emergency response and border
control on its territory.
* A new professional and multi-ethnic
Kosovo Security Force, KSF, shall be established, and shall develop a lightly
armed component capable of specified security functions, in accordance with
Annex VIII of this settlement.
* The KPC, having accomplished its goals,
including the facilitation of Kosovo's post-conflict recovery, shall be
disbanded within one year after the entry into force of this settlement.
* Immediately upon the entry into force of
this settlement, the president of Kosovo, in consultation with the presidency
of the assembly, shall convene a constitutional commission to draft a
constitution, in consultation with the International Civilian Representative,
ICR, in accordance with this settlement.
* No later than 9 months from the entry
into force of this settlement, Kosovo shall organise general and municipal
elections in accordance with the terms of this settlement and the new municipal
boundaries, as defined by Annex III of this settlement. The elections shall be
certified by a competent international authority as having met international
standards.
* An International Steering Group, ISG,
comprising key international stakeholders shall appoint an International
Civilian Representative, ICR, and will seek UN Security Council endorsement of
the appointment. The ICR and the EU Special Representative, EUSR, appointed by
the Council of the European Union, shall be the same person.
* As set forth in Annex IX of this
settlement, the ICR shall be entrusted to exercise certain powers to ensure and
supervise full implementation of this settlement including the power to take
measures, as necessary, to prevent and remedy breaches of this settlement.
* The mandate of the ICR shall continue
until the ISG determines that Kosovo has implemented the terms of this
settlement. The ISG shall provide direction on the ultimate phase-out of the
ICR.
* The European Union shall establish a
European Security and Defense Policy, ESDP, mission in the field of rule of
law.
* The ESDP mission shall assist Kosovo
authorities in their progress towards sustainability and accountability and in
further developing and strengthening an independent judiciary, police and
customs service, ensuring that these institutions are free from political
interference and in accordance with internationally recognised standards and
European best practices.
* NATO shall establish an International
Military Presence, IMP, to support implementation of this settlement, as set
forth in Annex XI of this settlement.
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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