14 April 2020 – Balkans Group’s new policy report on the Rules of Procedure of the Assembly review key aspects of, but largely overlooked issue that have contributed for the Assembly of Kosovo to fail its mission. The report reveals how imprecise definitions, vague processes and a lack of concise regulation have prevented the Assembly to fulfil its role as a legislative chamber and provides specific recommendations to close those gaps.
The report Increasing Effectiveness by Improving the Rules of Procedure offers a concise analysis of the political fallouts resulting from the Rules of Procedure currently in force. It exposes how a timely review and a constant updating could avoid costly deadlocks like those of 2014 and 2017, which were in fact made possible only by the existing regulation. It also delves into the existing constitutional constraints, and the limits imposed by the Constitutional Court in its interventions.
The current Rules of Procedure in use since 2010 and the draft Rules of Procedure of 2018 are assessed in the context of the Assembly’s lack of legislative efficiency.
The report tackles a number of key issues that, once addressed would greatly simplify the work of the Assembly and make the life of lawmakers more straightforward, allowing for enhanced efficiency and better, more timely laws. It articulates questions in four broad themes:
1) The Election, Powers and Structure of the Presidency;
2) Legislative Procedures;
3) Oversight of the Government; and
4) Accountability of Deputies.
It offers concrete recommendations, synthesised with analysis of the issues and parallels with regional and European case studies.
