The European Union has expressed concern over several provisions of the new Kosovo Law on Public Officials. In a press release, the EU expressed regret that the Assembly did not take into account its comments and those of the OBZHE/SIGMA expert team.

"The new law on public officials is problematic with regard to ensuring a merit-based civil service that can effectively manage human resources, as it adds excessive discretion in the recruitment, transfer and disciplinary procedures of civil servants, potentially making the civil service vulnerable to politicization”, reads the statement.

The EU says their comments were intended to best guide and support the government to ensure a depoliticized and professional civil service, with a transparent merit-based remuneration system, in line with public administration reform principles and the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) between the EU and Kosovo...