On 19^th November 2025, the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX) presented its fifth public Justice Monitoring Report, including findings and recommendations,

Based on the extensive monitoring of around 400 cases, complemented by interviews, data analysis, and close engagement with the police, prosecution, judiciary, lawyers, and civil society, the report highlights progress that has been achieved, alongside areas where additional efforts are needed to promote further alignment with international human rights standards, legal certainty, and public trust in the justice institutions.

In his welcoming remarks, EULEX Head of Mission Giovanni Pietro Barbano thanked the Mission’s Rule of Law counterparts for their cooperation and transparency, emphasizing that the report reflects the EU’s wider vision where local ownership is the foundation for lasting reform and restated EULEX’s commitment to supporting Kosovo, its institutions and its people.

Delivering a speech on behalf of the caretaker Minister of Justice Sallahu, the Director General of the Kosovo Correctional Service, Ismail Dibrani, pointed out that the report constitutes an important and timely tool for further guiding justice reforms, reaffirming Kosovo’s commitment towards an independent, professional, accountable and efficient justice system.

Commenting on the key findings presented by EULEX's Chief of Case Monitoring Unit, Hubert van Eck Koster, representatives from the chain of criminal justice acknowledged the importance of the report as a fact-based, reliable roadmap to identify gaps and provide recommendations for an effective and human rights-based delivery of justice.

In particular, the President of the Supreme Court, Fejzullah Rexhepi, praised the findings of the report, confirming that they are treated seriously and serve to improve and strengthen the functioning of the judiciary. President Rexhepi emphasized that the harmonization of penal policy is one of the priorities of the Supreme Court and the Kosovo Judicial Council.

The Acting Chief State Prosecutor, Besim Kelmendi, welcomed the report and its recommendations as a tool to improve the prosecutorial work, stressing, as main challenges, the number of prosecutors in relation to the number of court hearings, as well as budgetary needs.

The Chair of Kosovo Judicial Council (KJC), Albert Zogaj, confirmed that the judiciary has also identified some of the findings presented in the EULEX’s report, emphasizing its timeliness, since the report is coming at a time where the KJC is internally discussing a reform for judges’ performance evaluation while also drafting the new code of ethics for judges. Zogaj confirmed KJC’s openness and full readiness to cooperate with EULEX in addressing the recommendations within the judicial system through planning within KJC, at the Supreme Court and also with the basic courts.

The State Prosecutor and a member of the Kosovo Prosecutorial Council, Milot Krasniqi, pointed out the need to address the many challenges highlighted in the report through a shared approach within the entire chain of criminal justice, involving all different actors.

The Deputy General Director of Kosovo Police, Dejan Janković, thanked the Mission for the preparation of the report, ensuring that it has always been considered as a high- quality and objective tool to support the efficiency and professionalism of the Kosovo Police through the development of strategic documents, action plans and standard operational procedures.

The event continued with an engaging discussion moderated by EULEX Deputy Head of Mission, Emily Rakhorst, during which participants exchanged notes on the efforts required to ensure the correct, consistent and fair implementation of the legal framework in various areas, including gender-based violence, with a strong focus on child-friendly justice, highlighting the need for increased coordination and synergies within not only the justice system, but also among social services, schools, families and civil society.

Read the report here.