EU urges Kosovo parties to avoid pressuring judicial council over Serbian judges

The European Union Office in Kosovo has called on political parties to refrain from exerting pressure on the Kosovo Judicial Council and its members. The appeal specifically addresses the council's upcoming decision on the requests by Serbian judges to withdraw their resignations.

This statement from the EU follows public remarks made by several members of the ruling party. These lawmakers have expressed concerns about the council's planned meeting, which is set to review the Serbian judges' decision to step down in 2022 and their subsequent requests to return to their posts.

The EU Office stressed that an independent, impartial, and apolitical judiciary is fundamental to upholding the rule of law, both within Kosovo and in alignment with EU principles. This underscores the importance of the council's autonomy in its decision-making process.

One ruling party MP, Arbresha Krieziju Hiseni, voiced suspicions on Facebook that five ethnic Albanian members of the judicial council might be attempting to reinstate the "Vučić judges" without proper procedure. She alleged that the judges resigned on Vučić's orders and are now seeking reinstatement similarly, deeming such a move potentially illegal. Similar sentiments were echoed by two other MPs from the ruling party.