Effective Rule of Law Program Quarterly Progress Report (July 1 – September 30, 2012)

The program seeks to strengthen the independence, accountability, efficiency, and effectiveness of the justice system, as well as bolster public confidence in the rule of law by increasing public knowledge of and participation in the justice system. The program has four main objectives: to improve the effectiveness of justice sector institutions, to increase the efficiency of court operations, to improve the professionalism of justice system actors, and to increase citizen awareness and role in ensuring the delivery of justice. To achieve these objectives, the program is working closely with the Kosovo Judicial Council (KJC), the Ministry of Justice (MOJ), and other justice sector counterparts to implement various activities and deliverables. During the reporting period, the program made significant progress on program activities, including changes to key personnel. The acting Chief of Party was approved as the new Chief of Party, and a new Senior Technical Advisor position was approved. Additional personnel and short-term technical assistance were utilized to regain momentum on program activities. The program is now well-positioned to make steady, consistent, and significant programmatic progress. The program worked closely with the KJC to develop strategies and tactics for implementing the Law on Courts (LoC), which aims to transition the courts from Municipal/District/Minor Office Courts to Basic/Branch and Appeals Courts with new jurisdictional capacities. Over 200,000 cases must be inventoried, transferred, and accounted for, and judges will be transferred. The program has worked with the KJC to develop procedures and methods to accomplish this task on time. The Model Court Program (MCP) has also made significant progress, with seven of the eight MCP courts' refurbishment designs in the procurement process. Final designs have been approved for the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court, and the IQC holders for court refurbishment have been identified. The program anticipates refurbishment of the Court of Appeals will begin in October. In addition, the program has worked with the MOJ and other justice sector counterparts to review and amend laws that govern their operations. These laws, known as the Five Laws, deal with the new court and justice sector transition, and counterparts are making significant progress on amendments. The MOJ has also made progress on the Draft Law on State Advocacy, which represents a marked improvement over the existing law. The program has also worked with counterparts to develop and adopt Codes of Conduct, and to improve their use of information management to improve how they do their work and interact with the public. The Kosovo Judicial Institute (KJI) is developing a Web Strategy to improve its ability to provide high-quality legal resource material to legal professionals in Kosovo. There is also a growing interest in improving the ways justice counterparts interact with the media and the public. Overall, the Effective Rule of Law Program in Kosovo is making significant progress towards its objectives, and is well-positioned to continue making steady, consistent, and significant programmatic progress in the coming quarters.