almanac on security sector oversight in the Western Balkans

human rights by the Kosovo Assembly, however, may be considered an exception due
to attention paid by the local and international mechanisms operating in Kosovo to
promote an interethnic and intercultural environment.
The oversight of budget expenditures in the security sector however, has been a matter
of concern. Although competent oversight committees exist, there were almost
no discussions by the parliamentary committee regarding security sector budgetary
expenditures. The only occasion when there might be parliamentary discussion about
the budgetary issues are when Annual Audit General Reports are discussed. Until now
parliamentary committees have not initiated any additional ad hoc parliamentary discussion
specifically about the budget expenditures of security institutions (Venhari,
2010). Of greater concern is the fact that contracts exceeding one million Euros have
not been subject to discussion despite this being legally required. This constrains the
efforts of parliament to oversee budgetary expenditures and especially high value
contracts in the security sector. Further, this shows limited interest among MP’s to exercise
their role in scrutinising expenditures of public funds.
Parliamentary oversight of the activities and policies of security institutions is also
nearly non-existent. These committees failed to address most of the shortcomings of
the security sector regarding the adaptation of strategies, implementation of good
governance practices and other important governmental policies. This can be a detriment
to the checks and balances between the legislative and executive within this
sector (KCSS, 2012). There were no discussions either in committee or plenary sessions
on the adoption of a security strategy for Kosovo or for other institutional strategies.
The main deficiencies which indicate a low performance in parliamentary oversight
are related to limited professionalism within the Assembly staff in addition to a lack of
effort among MP’s (Selmani, 2010). Regarding recruitment of parliamentary support
staffers, there are indications that political biases and personal preferences influence
the hiring of personnel. This problem is common throughout public administration in
Kosovo. This could be one explanation for the relatively low number of skilled staffers
among parliamentary committees, which is highlighted in a number of different
reports (KDI, 2011). In addition, there is a lack of political willingness expressed by
political or institutional leaders to move the processes forward. This is due to a combination
of personal or party interests and the influence they have over other members
of parliament, indicating that in practice the AoK has much less influence on security
sector actors than it is given by law.
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4.2. Independent state institutions
Independent state institutions are among the main mechanisms for oversight of security
institutions, especially with respect to human rights protection and appropriate
use of public funds.