English - Eulex

Foreword by Judge Maria Giuliana Civinini
President of the Assembly of EULEX Judges
It has now been more than a year since the EULEX judges began to
exercise judicial functions in the courts of Kosovo. The declaration
of the Initial Operational Capability (IOC) of EULEX on 9 December
2008 marked as well the beginning of the judicial functions of the
EULEX judges. However, preparations for the beginning of the
judicial work began earlier.
The first European judges were deployed in Kosovo in April 2008. On 10 July 2008, the first Assembly of
the EULEX judges took place. The Assembly of Judges is responsible for the management of the work of
the EULEX judges. As a first action, the Assembly approved guidelines on case allocation for EULEX judges
in criminal and civil cases in district courts. On 23 October 2008, the 2 nd session of the Assembly of EULEX
judges, with 17 participating judges, concluded the guidelines for case allocation for EULEX judges in
criminal cases at the Supreme Court of Kosovo and the organizational guidelines for EULEX court teams.
These rules and guidelines concluded by the 1 st and 2 nd Assemblies set the foundation for the organisation
of the future judicial functions of the EULEX judges.
By the beginning of December 2008 various managerial aspects of the work of the EULEX court teams had
been set, including the designation of administrative focal points for each court, the composition of trial
panels, the identification of the backlog of criminal and civil cases to be adjudicated by EULEX judges, and
the organisation of court hearings. Guidelines were also developed for a correspondence management
and document flow system for the EULEX district court teams.
Currently, there are 31 EULEX judges and 25 EULEX legal officers deployed with their local counterparts in
all district courts and the Supreme Court of Kosovo. The EULEX and Kosovo judges work side by side and
adjudicate cases together in mixed panels. A high level of partnership has been reached with our local
counterparts – Presidents, judges and registrars of the Supreme Court, district and municipal courts of
Kosovo. Additionally, ties have been established with the Kosovo Chamber of Advocates by a technical
arrangement defining cooperation and coordination. Only through such joint efforts can we succeed
in dealing with the case backlog in Kosovo courts and promptly adjudicate new cases falling within the
competences of the EULEX judges, and it is our co-location and cooperation with the local judges which
can ensure our future success in the justice system in Kosovo.
This report is a compilation of information about the work of the EULEX judges in fulfilling their executive
functions in Kosovo courts over the year 2009. My special thanks go to Gergana Arabadjieva and Kathinka
Hewitt, who compiled the information and prepared and drafted the report.
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