Historical Background, Reforms of the Public Administration, and the European Integration of Kosovo

Abstract

The paper aims to analyse the current situation of the public administration in Kosovo, and its integration into the European Union. The Government of Kosovo aims to modernise the public administration, strengthen its capacities, and make it more efficient and accountable. Hence, the aim of this paper is to
briefly analyse the current status of Kosovo’s public administration and its attempts at reforms in order to reach the standards set out by the EU and become a member state. It also presents the challenges faced by the public administration, which arise from the European integration process, i.e. the requirements related
to the public administration from the Copenhagen criteria and the Stabilisation and Association Agreement. The paper offers recommendations for improving the public administration, with a focus on the reforms and the results achieved on Kosovo’s path towards meeting EU standards and what should be done for full
membership, which is Kosovo’s main goal. In its reforms of the public administration, besides some positive developments Kosovo has also experienced certain negative phenomena, such as corruption in the public administration, conflicts of interest, nepotism, politicisation of the public administration, a huge number
of employees, and many other issues that have hindered the advancement and development of the public administration. Although Kosovo has adopted a number of laws as part of the harmonisation of its legislation with the acquis, and has also established relevant institutions, the public administration is still facing
substantial challenges.