CSo Engagement in Civic Education 21

− Analyse Kosovo’s anti-corruption laws and strategic documents, including the findings and recommendations of Progress Reports on a regular basis.

−

− Establish partnerships with media in order to keep the public informed about developments in anti-corruption efforts.

To the European Union

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− Support Kosovo’s institutions to improve legal mechanisms for the implementation of anti-corruption legal and policy frameworks.

−

− Urge Kosovo’s government to support the work of anti-corruption agencies and bodies by concrete means, especially in terms of funding and prevention of political interference.

−

− Support CSO anti-corruption activities, through grant and funding programmes.

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− Closely monitor the results of combating corruption and CSO involvement in the process, and provide feedback when needed.

6. CSo Engagement in Civic Education

Following a memorandum of understanding between the government and civil society in 2007 and a long process drafting it, a government strategy for cooperation with civil society was adopted in July 2013. Although the action plan within the document includes estimated costs for each of the planned activities, until now there has been no allocated budget for implementation. The strategy and action plan were developed jointly, with civil society collecting and providing most of the data and expertise. The drafting process involved many CSOs from different areas of interest. The government recently decided to establish a  national council for the implementation of the strategy, a procedure that has still not started, with the mechanisms of implementation only being in the process of design. Although it is too early to demonstrate any improvement from this document, the strategy is planned to be continuously monitored by both sides, as well as periodic evaluation and

21 This section is predominantly based on the findings of the KCSF publication

“Monitoring Matrix on Enabling Environment for Civil Society Development,” Section 3.1, March 2014, www.kcsfoundation.org/repository/docs/17_03_2014_827819_Kosovo_

CSDev_Matrix_Final_eng.pdf.

79 Kosovo revision while the design of the implementation modalities is being conducted in close cooperation with civil society. Recently, the Assembly of Kosovo and a number of CSOs initiated the drafting of a declaration by the Assembly that would recognise the role of the sector and would plan a number of measures for improving cooperation and supporting civil society.

The importance of developing such cooperation is still not fully recognised by the state, and the operation of relevant institutions is at very early stages. Concretely, the Office for Good Governance within the Office of the Prime Minister (OGG/OPM) is the central unit to facilitate cooperation between the government and civil society. Following the adoption of the governmental strategy for cooperation with civil society, OGG/OPM has also been tasked to serve as the secretariat for the Joint Advisory Council, which is to be established as an advisory body for the implementation of the strategy.

With this task among many, OGG/OPM has insufficient human and financial resources to serve as both CSO-government dialogue facilitator and secretariat to the Joint Advisory Council. In turn, although its name indicates a mandate to cooperate with civil society, the CSO Registration and Liaison Office within the Ministry of Public Administration deals only with registration of CSOs and public benefit status, whereas liaison and cooperation with civil society is almost inexistent. At the level of the Assembly of Kosovo, a civil society liaison officer was recently appointed, with the aim to serve as a contact point for CSOs that are interested in becoming involved in the work of the Assembly and its committees. The results of this initiative by international organisations have yet to be seen.

Recent studies show that around 8% of CSOs’ funds come from government sources, while there is neither official public funding for such an aim nor criteria and procedures on disbursing and using such funds. This has been observed despite the fact that the Law on Freedom of Association of CSOs requires all public institutions that cooperate and financially support civil society to have pre-determined and transparent criteria for this support.

With regards to civic education through which citizens can be well informed and actively involved in their own governance, Kosovo is lacking.

Civic education in Kosovo most assuredly needs to be concerned with promoting an understanding of the ideals and a reasoned commitment to the values and principles of democracy. This assignment currently is only part of CSOs’ projects and activities. Conversely, the curriculum of the formal

Fatmir Curri, Branko Milutinović, Branislav Nesović, Naim Osmani

80

educational system in Kosovo has limited civil society-related topics—mostly in the primary level of education through the subject Citizenry Education.

Several private universities provide some opportunities for students to engage with CSOs, while public universities still lag their counterparts.²²

recommendations To the government

−

− Recognise the role, importance and relevance of CSOs in the EU accession process, using best practices from Visegrad countries.

−

− In cooperation with civil society, enable the CIVIKOS platform to appoint a  member of the council in order to facilitate the implementation of the strategy for cooperation with civil society.

−

− Allocate funding for implementation of the government strategy for cooperation with civil society. Design transparent and open tender procedures. Organise intensive education and capacity-building activities for civil servants on this strategy and their role in its implementation.

−

− The Office for Good Governance within the Office of the Prime Minister should establish a  specific unit for cooperation with civil society, with a  mandate to facilitate government–CSO cooperation and invest in enhancing its human and financial capacities.

−

− The Kosovo Statistical Office should cooperate with civil society development organisations in collecting and publishing relevant data on the civil society sector.

−

− Include civil society-related topics in the official curriculum of the educational system in cooperation with CSOs, and public and private schools and universities should create more opportunities for their students to engage with CSOs.

To civil society

−

− Be precise in reflecting public interest while advocating for laws and policies or in decision-making processes. Be aware that timely information on public administration work is a precondition for any type of cooperation between CSOs and public administration, and a key element of advocacy initiatives.

22 Ibidem, p. 21.

81 Kosovo

−

− Strengthen own capacities and profiles in order to improve communication with public administration, get access to information and public documents, contribute and have an impact on policymaking, writing laws, and reflecting constituency needs while preparing local administration rules and procedures.

−

− Actively engage in drafting various public policy documents, such as laws, policies, secondary legislation, municipal regulations, acts, etc.

−

− Become informed and seek accountability on reforms and results within the EU integration agenda, i.e., Visa Dialogue, Rule of Law Dialogue, Public Administration Reform, European Partnership Priorities, SAA negotiations and draft agreement.

Conclusion

It is crucial that Kosovo remains engaged in the EU integration process and therefore motivated to fight corruption and organised crime, improve law enforcement and set up an independent judiciary, observe human rights and protect minorities. In this respect, the recently adopted governmental strategy for cooperation with civil society provides a comprehensive framework for CSO involvement. However, the current institutional setup and human and financial resources do not guarantee its proper implementation.

Meanwhile, the CSO sector generally acknowledges the importance of these processes. Therefore, strengthening cooperation between the public administration and civil society will in part contribute to overcoming the above-mentioned challenges. On the other hand, all of the civil society organisations need to be well-prepared and equipped, and with their various strengths act as one whenever possible in order to maintain their role in state reforms. Valuable experience can be gained from countries that have already journeyed to EU membership. A lot of this experience lies with the experts and institutions in the Visegrad countries. Building bridges of communication, strengthening existing networks, exchanging lessons learned and legislation, or using these resources on the Kosovo side is instrumental for its preparations for the next phases of EU accession. This is yet another argument that allows one to conclude that it is the right time to establish healthy relations between the government (and all other public institutions) and CSOs in order to be able to act as one against numerous challenges concerning acquis chapters 23 and 24.

maCEdonIa

Qëndresa Sulejmani (group editor)