Wiegand: EU position is clear, law amendments are contrary to Kosovo’s international obligations

The European Union maintains its position that the amendments to the Law on the Specialist Chambers are contrary to Kosovo’s international obligations, EU spokesperson Christian Wiegand reiterated today.

Responding to a question from a Pristina-based journalist seeking clarification on the possible overlap of jurisdiction between the Constitutional Court in Pristina and the Constitutional Court Chamber of the Specialist Chambers in The Hague, Wiegand said that the Union’s political position on the Specialist Chambers was very clear, while the relevant EU team would have to provide clarification on the legal aspect.

“But our position on the Specialist Chambers is very clear. We have consistently supported the work of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers as an independent judicial institution, established by decisions of the Kosovo Assembly in 2014 and 2015, operating within Kosovo’s legal system and enshrined in the Constitution of Kosovo. Let me reiterate what we also said in the spokesperson’s statement: the law adopted by the Kosovo Assembly amending the existing legislation is contrary to Kosovo’s international obligations toward the EU,” Wiegand said.

Brussels already stated last week that the amendments to the Law on the Specialist Chambers were contrary to Kosovo’s obligations toward the EU, while also calling on Pristina to comply with those obligations.

European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos conveyed a similar message yesterday, describing the move as “unacceptable” and saying that changing the rules while judicial proceedings were ongoing violated international rule-of-law standards.

“My message is very simple. The EU enlargement process is moving forward. If candidate countries take steps backward, they are not on the right path and will not be able to become members of the EU,” Kos said ahead of yesterday’s meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council.