Gresa Caka-Nimani said that Kosovo’s integration into the Council of EuropeIn
“Kosovo’s membership in the Council of Europe, hopefully very soon, will be a historic moment. It will have an impact in at least four important aspects. First, and most importantly, it will be a moment in which Kosovo’s statehood will be further consolidated at the international level,” she stated.
Caka-Nimani further explained that Kosovo becoming subject to another supranational authority would provide additional guarantees for the protection of democratic values, the rule of law, and fundamental rights and freedoms.
“Secondly, the fact that the Republic of Kosovo would be subject to a supranational authority would serve as an additional guarantee for safeguarding democracy, the rule of law, as well as the protection of fundamental rights and freedoms. This is important both because of the monitoring mechanisms available within the structure of the Council of Europe and especially because of the extension of the jurisdiction of the European Court of Human Rights over decisions made by Kosovo’s public authorities,” she said.
She also stressed that supranational oversight would improve the quality and effectiveness of Kosovo’s judicial system.
“Thirdly, despite the fact that the Convention has been applicable in our country since 2001, the fact that decision-making would be subject to supranational oversight will, in my assessment, have a positive impact on improving the quality and performance of the judiciary itself,” she noted.
According to Caka-Nimani, Kosovo’s citizens would also benefit directly from membership in the Council of Europe.
“Finally, but not less importantly, this would have a major impact on every citizen of the Republic of Kosovo because each individual would gain an additional effective legal remedy — namely, the possibility to directly challenge decisions of Kosovo’s public authorities before a supranational court, specifically the European Court of Human Rights, once all domestic legal remedies have been exhausted,” she added.
She concluded by saying that Kosovo’s membership in supranational mechanisms such as the Council of Europe would represent a major step forward in strengthening and maintaining democratic standards in the country.
