President Vjosa Osmani declared that she doesn’t agree with the remarks made by the European Commission on the annual report on EU aspiring countries, which pointed out that the vetting process in Kosovo “remains a serious concern”.
The report notes that the government’s plan to conduct a “simultaneous vetting of all prosecutors and judges” is a “serious source for concern.”
During a press conference, President Osmani noted that a matter of concern would be not carrying out the vetting at all.
“The non-realization of the vetting does not contribute to the efforts of the institutions of Kosovo to guarantee rule of law, nor the country’s European future”, she said.
The vetting process, a part of the broader judicial reform, carried background checks on prosecutors and judges to detect irregularities in their assets and professional performance.
In neighbor Albania, although the process has cleansed the system from many corrupted judges, it has also led to significant shortages in the justice system resulting in a long-time suspension of important courts, including the Constitutional Court.
“This process should only be considered as an extraordinary measure after all other means and existing mechanisms have been exhausted,” the report highlights.
The government of Kosovo hasn’t determined yet how the vetting will be conducted.
“Unlike it was concluded in the EU report, this process will be constant and inclusive. For many years in a row, various local and international reports have indicated deadlocks in the justice system and missing adequate mechanisms to deal with these deadlocks. The reforms required in the justice system cannot be carried out with the existing mechanisms”, Osmani declared.
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