Kosovo’s governing and opposition parties united in 2022 for a unanimous vote in the Assembly of Kosovo. The subject? The Rules of Procedure (RoP) that govern the Assembly's work.

For more than 20 years, the Assembly has been one of Kosovo's strongest democratic institutions and plays a critical role in realizing Kosovo's goals of normalizing relations with Serbia, striving for European Union accession and building economic opportunity to stem youth leaving the country. And for more than 20 years, NDI has supported the Assembly in achieving its democratic goals: building non-partisan research capacity to guide legislative development, helping to provide livestreaming services, working with citizens and journalists to further transparency about the Assembly’s work and ensuring staff and members of parliament (MPs) are oriented to their duties and the resource available to them. 

Kosovo’s Assembly — staff, MPs, and leadership — recognized that the rules governing the Assembly’s operations needed to be modernized and refined. In a post-pandemic world, the old RoP did not allow MPs to cast their votes if they were not physically present or to hold virtual sessions. The RoP, which had not been revised since 2010, contained insufficient provisions for advancing parliamentary transparency at a time when citizens are interested in the Assembly’s outreach initiatives and have a growing appetite for information on how elected officials are utilizing their positions. For example, NDI public opinion research shows that citizens believe transparency is key to fighting corruption—which is a top priority for citizens. 

“The adoption of this Regulation is truly a remarkable accomplishment. It signifies the democratization of this Parliament and the reinforcement of the mandate entrusted to us by the people, and most importantly, ensures the efficient functioning of the Parliament” — Besnik Tahiri, AAK Caucus leader

NDI guided technical experts and MPs in the Assembly to consider how best to update the RoP in order to operate more efficiently, better respond to citizen priorities and solidify its leading position as one of the most transparent legislatures in the Western Balkans. Exchanges through the House Democracy Partnership (HDP) provided inspiration and renewed motivation for continuing the important work when it took longer to update the RoP than the authors initially expected. In addition to offering ideas and practices that could be adapted for Kosovo, discussing parliamentary procedures with peers — members of Congress and staff — underscored to those working on updates to the RoP that they, and Kosovo, are not alone. Other parliaments are also thinking through the details that make parliaments work for their citizens in a democratic manner. For this reason, with the RoP and other parliamentary democracy goals, exchanges with peers through HDP often catalyzes reform. 

“We exerted utmost efforts to reconcile political stances, aiming for a broad consensus and delivering a draft that garners acceptance from all caucuses represented in the Kosovo Assembly.” — Adnan Rrustemi, Chair of the Assembly Committee on Legislation

All of this culminated in the plenary session of July 2022, when the unanimous vote took place. With the RoP’s passage, the way is clear for the Assembly to make a host of significant updates to its practices. MPs can now vote remotely if needed. As citizens continue to prioritize anti-corruption measures and transparency, the updates solidify means for increased transparency and integrity in politics, for example:

• Removing parliamentary immunity; 

• Allowing for future adoption of a Code of Ethics for MP behavior; and 

• Ensuring citizens can better see how taxpayer money is used by strengthening the role of parliamentary committees in overseeing the financial and political activities of the executive branch and independent agencies.

The host of technical details in the RoP adds up to shifts in practice and ultimately, parliamentary culture. For instance, new definitions and distinctions between types of hearings in the Assembly help to make plain committees’ roles and how citizens can be included in the decision making process. In addition, a code of ethics can help ensure that the standards for speaking to peers and about women and underrepresented communities are plainer. 

All together, this means that the updates also create more opportunities for citizens, civil society and experts to take part in decision making, to help ensure that legislation responds to citizens’ priorities and considers possible impacts to all its citizens—critical in a multi-ethnic society and one where citizens increasingly recognize the need for gender equality and inclusion in public life.

Commending this milestone, NDI/Kosovo’s Senior Country Director, Nancy Soderberg, said

NDI/Kosovo is proud to have worked in close partnership with the Assembly's leadership to ensure this important step forward in building Kosovo's vibrant democracy. We are grateful for the impactful partnership with the HDP and look forward to continuing to support the efforts of Kosovo’s Assembly to be more accountable and accessible to its citizens. Democracy is always a work in progress.”

This decisive change in the Assembly is a crucial step in Kosovo’s democratic development—a moment when partisan differences stood aside in favor of the country’s democratic future. NDI will continue to provide expertise to the Assembly as it puts the new provisions into action, develops a code of ethics, and continues its democratic trajectory. 

This activity is made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The opinions expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.

Author: Elizabeth Saam, Program Director, NDI: Central and Eastern Europe 

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NDI is a non-profit, non-partisan, non-governmental organization that works in partnership around the world to strengthen and safeguard democratic institutions, processes, norms and values to secure a better quality of life for all. NDI envisions a world where democracy and freedom prevail, with dignity for all.