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Kosovo: Courts

Answer

The UK works closely with the UN mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), the Kosovo Government and other international organisations seeking to improve the judicial system and tackle organised crime and corruption. The UK provides around 65 police officers to UNMIK to assist with law enforcement in Kosovo and provided expertise and equipment to increase the effectiveness of the Kosovo Organised Crime Unit (now called the Directorate of Organised Crime). We have provided witness protection equipment to the local district courts in order to enable them to secure a victim’s testimony and also specialist IT training for the Kosovo Police Service. In addition, the Department for International Development is working to strengthen the new Ministries of Justice and Interior. Our contribution in supplying the witness protection equipment was recognised by Soren Jessen-Petersen, UN special representative in Kosovo, in his recent report to the UN Security Council. We also contribute almost 19 per cent. of the funding to the EU’s external assistance programme to the western Balkans—the Community Assistance for    Reconstruction, Development and Stabilisation (CARDS) programme. Between 2005 and 2006, CARDS has allocated €143.5 million to Kosovo, €11.6 million is devoted to justice and home affairs issues. The instrument for pre-accession replaces CARDS from 2007 as the EU’s financial instrument which streamlines all pre-accession assistance within a single framework. The EU has not yet reached a decision on the financial allocations for any of the countries covered by the instrument. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office also paid for an official from the Department for Constitutional Affairs to go to Kosovo last December to carry out an assessment on the Kosovo judicial system. The findings acknowledged progress that UNMIK has made in setting up a judicial system in Kosovo, and also highlighted the challenges that this fledgling structure still faces. We will continue to look for other opportunities to support the Kosovo Government.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

6456; 683 c166-7WA

Session

2005-06

Subjects

Administration of justice Corruption Development aid Law and order Organised crime Kosovo

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk