EU auditors says Kosovo aid 'not sufficiently effective'

(BRUSSELS) - European Union aid for Kosovo, including its rule of law mission, "has not been sufficiently effective" in boosting democratic standards and battling crime and corruption, the European Court of Auditors said on Tuesday.

The court noted in a statement that Kosovo was "the largest per capita recipient" of EU financial aid in the world and "home to the largest civilian crisis management mission ever launched" by the 27-nation bloc.

Set up in 2008, the EU rule of law mission in Kosovo, EULEX, has some 2,000 staff including police, prosecutors and judges to assist in judicial and law enforcement issues, including maintaining democratic standards.

Between 2007 and 2011, Kosovo received around 1.2 billion euros in rule of law aid but an ECA report "found that this assistance has not been sufficiently effective.

"Although the EU helped to build capacity, notably in the area of customs, assistance to the police and the judiciary has had only modest success.

"Levels of organised crime and corruption in Kosovo remain high," the report added.

It said the judiciary "continues to suffer from political interference", that Kosovo had a "limited capacity to protect key witnesses" and that there "has been almost no progress in establishing the rule of law in the north of Kosovo".

The statement comes as EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton joins US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in a visit to the Balkans.

A spokesman for the EU's enlargement commissioner Stefan Fuele agreed that establishing the rule of law in Kosovo was "a challenging and lengthy process".

Brussels "will continue to consult closely with Kosovo authorities to ensure greater efficiency and effectiveness," said Peter Stano.

Ashton's office stressed however that EULEX had done much to challenge Kosovo's culture of impunity by investigating and prosecuting ministers, officials, former commanders and prominent businessmen.

It was following hundreds of investigations and had delivered over 300 verdicts in criminal and civil cases.

Ashton earlier this month chaired the re-launch of EU-sponsored talks between Serbia and Kosovo, which were broken off after Serbian elections in May.

Serbia rejects Kosovo's unilateral 2008 proclamation of independence, which is recognised by some 90 states including 22 of the EU's 27 members and the United States.