In September 2018, WFD launched the three-year Western Balkans Democracy Initiative to strengthen political parties, parliamentary practice and democratic institutions in the region. In Kosovo, we are working with political parties on a series of internal reforms in line with European standards.
Our current programme of support follows on from a 2016 project, in partnership with the British Embassy in Pristina that helped political parties self identify ways to improve.
Like many countries in the region, democratic reform in Kosovo is motivated by the European Union integration process, however the current pace of realising reforms is slow.
Support for democracy is a central focus of international assistance, but security and stability is often prioritised. This resulted in a political scene which is highly polarised with political parties having limited connection to ideology, frequent stalemates and lack of genuine democratic processes.
Political parties are central to the governance challenges countries face and their effectiveness can make-or-break reforms. In Kosovo, we are supporting political parties to meet European standards with regards to democracy, rule of law, transparency and ideology.
We will also work with the Central Election Commission to set up a new Political Party Office. This will help increase the credibility and authority of the Commission when it comes to working with political parties. Developing criteria and guidelines for new members of staff as well as coaching for office management will help improve compliance by political parties. Currently political party compliance with the Commission’s guidance is poor.
Country data
- Population: 1.8 million
- GDP: $6.65 billion (USD)
- GNI per capita: $3,850 (USD)
- Media freedom: 48/100 (partly free)
- Democracy index: 52/100 (partly free)
Programme data
- 2016: year of first WFD programme
Results and Activities
- Kosovo’s political parties implement projects to address internal shortcomings and progress towards European standards
- The regulatory framework increasingly provides incentives to transpose European political party standards, particularly the rule of law
- Improved transparency of political parties especially in relation to funding
- UK and Kosovo political parties establish sister-party relations
Implementation
Western Balkan Democracy Initiative
Planned end: September 2021
Transforming political governance
Planned end: March 2018
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