The Assembly of Kosovo meets this Friday to continue the plenary session, where the agenda is also the voting of changes and additions to the Law on Specialized Chambers and the Office of the Specialized Prosecutor, known as the Law on Special. The session is expected to start at 11:00 a.m., after the work was interrupted the day before, due to the lack of deputies in the hall. Even half an hour after 14:00, when the continuation of the session was planned, the deputies did not return to the Assembly. For this reason, the speaker of the Assembly, Albulena Haxhiu, decided to postpone the continuation of the session to Friday, expressing dissatisfaction with the lack of deputies.
“The assembly continues its work on Friday at 11:00. It is not serious, half an hour after 14:00 the deputies are not coming. I have no options with the function and it waits for me until infinity”Haxhiu declared. The request of the Democratic Party of Kosovo for the consideration of changes in the Law on Specialized Chambers was added to the agenda of the session. However, the initiative has prompted reactions and concerns from Kosovo’s international partners. Great Britain has expressed opposition to the intention of the Assembly to vote again on the legal changes, warning that such an action could damage Kosovo’s relations with international partners.
In the reaction of the British Embassy in Pristina, it is stated that the proposed amendments would not serve the essential interests of Kosovo. Even the German Embassy in Kosovo has expressed concern through a reaction on social networks, agreeing with the position of the European Union Office in Kosovo regarding the possible voting of these changes. Meanwhile, the EU Office has assessed that the proposed amendments raise serious concerns for Kosovo’s international obligations and respect for the principles of the rule of law.
In particular, judicial independence, victim and witness protection, procedural rights and effective accountability were mentioned. The EU office has also raised questions about the constitutionality of the changes, demanding that before any approval, preliminary consultations take place, in accordance with Kosovo’s international obligations.
