On 26 March 2024, Kosovo Online published a written interview with the EULEX Head of Mission, Giovanni Pietro Barbano, in which he addressed a comprehensive range of topics including the Constitutional Court judgment in the case of the Decani Monastery, EULEX’s mandate, the security situation in Kosovo, as well as the ongoing cooperation with NATO/KFOR and the Kosovo Police.

During the interview, Head of Mission Barbano welcomed the implementation of the Constitutional Court judgment from 2016 in the case of the Decani Monastery as a long overdue step forward for the application of the rule of law in Kosovo. “Based on the principle of legal certainty, the Constitutional Court’s decisions are binding for all persons and institutions without exception, in line with the Kosovo’s Constitution and European legal standards,” he recalled.

When asked to comment on the latest security incidents in northern Kosovo, including the violent events in Zvečan/Zveçan and in Banjska/Banjskë, Head of Mission Barbano confirmed that such incidents contribute to the fragility of the situation especially in northern Kosovo, in turn negatively impacting the daily lives of the population.

Stressing the importance of all communities to live in a secure environment, Head of Mission Barbano stated: “As a Mission, on the one hand we are vigilant and stand ready to support the security of Kosovo and the well-being of the local population; and on the other hand we are also committed to supporting the Kosovo authorities, in particular the Kosovo Police, in strengthening their community-oriented policing efforts to increase people’s confidence and to continue to build bridges between the police and the population.”

Head of Mission Barbano also explained EULEX’s robust monitoring mandate, reaffirming the assertive monitoring role of the Mission, which focuses on selected cases throughout the entire criminal justice system chain.

When asked about EULEX's cooperation with Kosovo institutions and with KFOR, the Head of EULEX pointed out the positive and continuous cooperation with rule of law institutions in Kosovo as the precondition to implementing the Mission’s mandate and confirmed that EULEX is, as Kosovo’s second security responder, in constant close coordination with the Kosovo Police and KFOR related to security issues.

Read Kosovo Online’s full interview in English language at: Barbano: We are monitoring property disputes of Serbs in Kosovo; large number of cases are returned for retrial by the Court of Appeal - Kosovo Online (kosovo-online.com)