Minister Kuçi congratulated Mr. Peci on the reelection as the chair of KJC

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice, Prof. Dr. Hajredin Kuçi, congratulated Mr. Enver Peci on his reelection at the head of the Kosovo Judicial Council. The congratulation telegram from Minister Kuçi says:

Dear Mr. Peci

Let me express my most sincere congratulations on your reappointment at the head of the Kosovo Judicial Council.

I am convinced that your dedication towards the work of the judiciary in Kosovo, in the past and even now, would be the main driver towards the implementation of the judicial reforms initiated in order to achieve the aspired level of the rule of law.

In your new mandate, I hope we will continue our devoted cooperation in ensuring the independence of the judiciary in every area of its scope. Our common task is extremely important, especially now, when the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo is expected to approve the Constitutional Amendment for the selection of members of the Kosovo Judicial Council in accordance with the recommendations of the Council of Europe. The judiciary in Kosovo now more than ever has in its hands its independent future, which should be applied in improving services for the citizens of the Republic of Kosovo.

Given this vision, we must work in increasing the judicial accountability towards the citizens of the Republic of Kosovo. As we have discussed earlier, one of the ways this can be done is by increasing the transparency of the judiciary daily work, by holding public trials and mandatory publication of judgments at all levels of our judiciary. In this way, our judiciary will not only meet its obligations to be transparent to the public, but it will also make it easier to prove the great work that is being done every day in protecting and fulfilling the rights of citizens.

In this regard, as the Minister of Justice, I look forward that our cooperation in this area aims to increase the citizens' trust in justice and the judiciary of our country. The implementation of the reforms that we have jointly launched for a while now is a key element to achieve this ideal. Consequently, now that our justice system possesses nearly all the powerful and unique policies it needed for a long time, this year I will direct the Ministry of Justice towards a closer cooperation with the KJC in order to pay attention to the implementation of laws which we have brought together over the past couple of years.

I firmly believe that one of the first steps that should be taken in this direction should be the reduction of the number of court cases. The Ministry of Justice, through the competencies it enjoys, is trying its best to help in this regard by functionalizing all means of alternative dispute resolution. While these initiatives are showing the first results, I believe that together we will succeed in shaping and realizing other ideas which I have already presented in our joint discussions. Among other things, we need to together consider the idea to address the problem of the large number of cases through the formation of a task force of judges who would be exclusively engaged for this purpose.

I look forward to your cooperation, especially in amending the package of laws on the judiciary which we have started together in order to address the challenges that our judiciary has faced in the past. Among these challenges was mentioned several times the difficulty of recruiting the necessary number of judges in accordance with the needs of our country. Therefore, I rely on your cooperation in including into the legislation easier policies for the recruitment of judges and prosecutors in the future. The submission of more flexible conditions for judges will enable the engagement of new judges in courts, who would bring new ideas and experiences in the Kosovo judiciary.

These new policies will excessively contribute in increasing the capacities of the judiciary, which I believe is also your main priority, along with other capacity building activities implemented together with the EULEX Mission in Kosovo. Now that the Ministry of Justice is drawing nearer to the completion of the project for the establishment of the Academy of Justice, let me remind you that the capacity building of judges will become much easier and more efficient.

The common objectives of the EULEX mission, KJC and the Ministry of Justice for capacity building of the judiciary should serve as the main pillar of our joint work during your new mandate. By deepening the cooperation of these three institutions, we will strive together to achieve a smooth and easy transition of EULEX mission, followed by a gradual transfer of competencies from this mission to the local institutions.

I am convinced that the reforms that we have already launched together, will achieve the desired success only through our joint and dedicated work. Let me once again express my sincere appreciation for your commitment towards the rule of law in the past as well as my full confidence that this commitment will not be lacking in your next mandate.

As Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice, I would like to take this opportunity to express my absolute support in ensuring the welfare of the judiciary in Kosovo, as an unshakable foundation of the rule of law in our country.

Finally, I would like to express my highest consideration for the Kosovo Judicial Council, and wish you a successful work and many achievements.

Sincerely

Prof. Dr. Hajredin Kuçi
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice