German Embassy: Swift implementation of the Visoki Decani verdict is imperative for Kosovo

The spokesperson of the German Embassy in Pristina, Christian Bottcher, stated that the swift implementation of the Constitutional Court's verdict regarding the return of land to the Visoki Decani Monastery was crucial not only regarding Kosovo's membership in the Council of Europe but also concerning the integrity of the Constitutional Court.

Bottcher told Gazeta Express that the enforcement of the Court's decision on the property dispute between the Municipality of Decani and the Visoki Decani Monastery could be a "challenging precondition" for Kosovo's membership in the Council of Europe.

"Therefore, the swift implementation of the verdict, through any form of order or institution, is imperative not only concerning Kosovo's membership in the Council of Europe but also regarding the integrity of the Constitutional Court," Bottcher said.

He reminded that Germany, like other international partners of Kosovo, had repeatedly called for the implementation of the Constitutional Court's decisions.

"The request for respect for the Constitution of Kosovo through the implementation of the Constitutional Court's decisions is repeatedly raised by Germany and many other international friends and partners," he said.

He also noted that in the report of prominent legal experts of the Council of Europe, the failure to comply with the decision of the Court regarding the Visoki Decani Monastery was qualified as "a clear violation of the rule of law."

Bottcher added that the report clearly stated the need for "the implementation of the verdict without further delay" as the first point to improve the rule of law situation in Kosovo.