Auditors say EU mission in Kosovo ineffective

The European Union's largest-ever crisis management mission, in Kosovo, has been ineffective and plagued by delays, according to a report by the European Court of Auditors published today (30 October).  

The report found that progress in strengthening the rule of law in Kosovo has been slow, attributing this primarily to conditions in the country, notably the continued control of north Kosovo by ethnic Serbs financed by Serbia. But the report also says that there are “significant areas where better management by the European External Action Service and Commission could have made EU assistance more effective”.  

In the period 2007-11 covered by the audit, the EU provided some €680 million to support the rule of law in Kosovo, and Kosovo is the biggest per-capita recipient of EU aid in the world.  

The report found that objectives had not been clearly defined and that there were “major co-ordination challenges” between the EU's judicial and police mission (Eulex) and Commission projects. Eulex, with its 2,500 staff, suffered from delays in reaching full staff numbers. Last year, when the audit was carried out, Eulex was at 75% of its authorised staff levels, according to the report. The auditors said that one-year secondments were too short, especially for organised-crime investigators and senior magistrates. Eleven member states provided unqualified candidates for open posts.  

The report concludes that Kosovo's authorities “have given a low priority to anti-corruption activities” and notes that the relevant parts of the European Partnership Action Plan for this year foresees funding from Kosovo's government of just €17,000 for five anti-corruption actions, while eco-driving receives €25,000 from the state budget.  

The Court of Auditors recommends calls on the EU to ensure that objectives for assistance have benchmarks to allow progress to be measured. The EEAS and the Commission should improve their co-ordination and prepare the Commission for taking over Eulex's capacity-building functions once it phases out. The member states should ensure that qualified candidates are available for the authorised staff level to be reached, and staff should be allocated to reflect the importance of the rule of law.  

In a joint reply to the auditors, the EEAS and the European Commission wrote that they “concur with the assessment and find it positive that the Court's findings confirm progress in some areas”. They agreed with the recommendations and said that some – for example the development of benchmarks to measure progress against objectives – had already been implemented.