Ambassador O’Connell speech on the work of Independent Agencies in Kosovo
Ambassador Ruairí O'Connell gave a speech during a conference on the work of Independent Agencies.
Dear President Mustafa,
Dear MPs,
Dear distinguished guests,
First I would like to thank the Parliamentary Commission for Economic Development, Infrastructure, Trade and Industry, and the Institute for Development Policy (INDEP), for organising this roundtable that tackles a very important issue, which affects areas of priority for Kosovo and for us as the British Embassy. Areas such as: Economic Development, Anti-Corruption and Good Governance.
The progress report for consecutive years has identified the need to strengthen the supervisory role of the Parliament over the Government – including other agencies and independent bodies. A strong Assembly that exercises its supervisory role is a very important pillar on which the democracy and the system of checks and balances should be based.
I am glad that, with the support the British Embassy, the Assembly - specifically the Parliamentary Commission for Economic Development, Infrastructure, Trade and Industry - supported by INDEP, has increased its supervision of agencies that are within the mandate of this commission, and has worked towards standardising the reporting for all agencies and institutions that report to the Parliament.
While good work has been done, there is still a need for further effort. The Agencies and other independent Institutions, including Boards of Public Enterprises, are perceived as being highly politicised.
Numerous reports that have been done until now – including studies from INDEP and other Civil Society Organisations - have noted instances of violations of law, and proposed concrete recommendations for better, more regular and more systematic oversight, by using all the available legal mechanisms of the Parliament.
We have followed the recent Government decisions on the appointment of the Boards of several public enterprises. From what we understand, the Law on Public Enterprises has been violated in a number of cases. As a result, we still have politicised institutions in place of independent and professional bodies.
These political appointments have taken place despite the fact that the Public Enterprise Law specifically prohibits the appointment of people who were political appointees in the last 36 months. If such appointments occurred when they are expressly prohibited by law, the potential for misuse may be even greater in cases where agencies and other independent institutions are regulated by special laws which do not specify so precisely what it means to be a ‘political appointee’. This makes exposing political interference in independent agencies cases harder - even when there is a clear case of politicisation. This week Kosovo ratified the Stabilisation Association Agreement. This was a huge step. Not only is this the start of a contractual relationship with the EU but it means something deeper. It means that Kosovo must be considered and must act like any other European state. A professional public service is a vital part of this. Without professional people, Kosovo risks corruption, and risks failure to do all that is needed. This will prevent investors, economic growth and everything that the people of Kosovo want to see.
The future of Kosovo is in the hands of its citizens. Kosovo has educated and skilled people, to whom should be given the opportunity to contribute. Progress is possible only with professional and prepared people who contribute to the common good of Kosovo. So the fight against nepotism and corruption is fundamental. This fight will give results in many fields, especially the economy. The well-being of each will be better with professional and independent institutions; therefore we encourage you to make this cause a priority. Again, I want to thank you for the invitation. It will be my pleasure to hear the debate that will arise in this roundtable, but I will be much more interested to see the steps that Parliament, Civil Society, and Kosovar society in general take in improving the issues identified as problematic.
As friend of Kosovo, the British Embassy is ready to help you in addressing these challenges.
Thank you for your attention.