On Tuesday 29 May, the ambassadors of the EU28 member states (Coreper) agreed on the new mandate and new missions of the EU rule of law mission in Kosovo, EULEX Kosovo, and on its mandate until 2020.
According to the draft decision obtained by EUROPE, and which could be formally adopted by the Council in early June, the EULEX Kosovo mandate will change. The European mission will give its “support to certain institutions in Kosovo which are responsible for ensuring compliance with rule of law so that they develop towards greater effectiveness, viability, ethnic pluralism and accountability, free from any political interference and in full compliance with the standards recognised at international level regarding human rights and with European best practice”.
The aim is to entrust the remaining tasks to other long standing EU instruments and to gradually put an end to residual executive functions, the draft decision states.
EULEX Kosovo has been entrusted with new tasks. It will, in particular, “follow certain matters and certain processes before the civil and criminal justice institutions of Kosovo, in close coordination with other EU players, in respect of the independence of the judiciary”, and provide operational support to dialogue conducted thanks to EU mediation, if required. It will also follow, frame and advise the correctional services of Kosovo.
The mission will also take on “certain limited executive responsibilities in the fields of forensic medicine and the police” and will ensure “the enforcement and promotion of public order and security, including if necessary by modifying or by cancelling operational decisions taken by the relevant Kosovar authorities”.
Coreper has decided to allocate €169.8 million to the mission over the period between June 2018 and June 2020. Out of this amount, €83.56 million will be used to implement the EULEX mandate in Kosovo and €86.25 million will “cover support to judicial procedures” transferred to the Netherlands, which hosts the prosecutor’s special bureau. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)