Prosecutors fill a unique role in any judiciary system. Their primary responsibility in the judiciary architecture is to ensure admissible evidence in criminal proceedings in order to present cases to the Courts. Therefore, the comprehensive selection process of prosecutors is crucial to fill this aspect of the justice system. 

Monitoring, mentoring, and advising (MMA) of the development and implementation of a sustainable prosecutorial system is the primary focus of EULEX experts working in the KPC. In addition, they also support their local counterparts in the enhancement of processes such as recruitment, promotion, evaluation, disciplinary and performance evaluation. This is critical to ensure that they are in line with international standards and European best practices, including principles of gender equality and fair ethnic representation. 

The EULEX KPC Advisory Team, together with EULEX Human Resources experts, organized a one day specialized workshop: "Increasing the Quality of the Selection Process for Prosecutors." The workshop was held on 22 April 2015, where prosecutors, members of Kosovo Prosecutorial Council (KPC), and KPC support staff participated. 

“Among providing advice on drafting the regulation of the recruitment process and other MMA activities,  EULEX monitored the selection process of twenty one prosecutors at the first instance level over the course of 2013. The findings of our assessment report identified several shortcomings and areas for improvement in the recruitment process,” explains Ramon Palomino, Advisor to the KPC. 

After having thoroughly analyzed the selection process and sharing the findings with local counterparts, the EULEX KPC advisory team designed the workshop to improve and broaden the skills of those who are conducting interviews and those who will partake in the selection panels. “The aim of the training is to share the findings of the report and get the practical outcomes to increase the quality of the entire process,” adds Ramon.  

The Chair of the Appointment Committee and Deputy Chair of the KPC, Idain Smailji, emphasized the importance of the training: "As the president of the recruiting commission for the new prosecutors, I find this training to be a very helpful tool that enables  us to be in line with European standards during the selection process of new prosecutors. I am very thankful to EULEX’s legal experts for organizing such a training.”   

"Our team, together with EULEX Human Resources experts, presented a different tool to the participants of the training in hope that it will be used in the future in order to identify the best possible candidates to fill such a unique role in Kosovo’s Judiciary system,” says Cristian Nicoara, Advisor to the KPC.  

Follow-up results and impact of the training will be analyzed by the EULEX KPC advisory team. In addition,  as part of the MMA role in KPS,  assessing the ongoing recruitment process for an additional eighteen positions will be finalized before the summer of 2015.