Participation Mechanisms at the Local Level in Kosovo: Impact on Roma, Ashkali and Egyptians
Participation Mechanisms at the Local Level in Kosovo: Impact on Roma, Ashkali and Egyptians

Summary/Abstract: The effective participation of minority communities in decision-making processes is considered by the international community as an essential element to ensure the conditions for integration without forced assimilation. Public policies targeting Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities in Kosovo have not been specific to those communities but rather part of the global strategy to include the biggest minority in Kosovo: the Kosovo Serb community. Roma, Ashkali and Egyptians have been sidelined and have not beneficiated from tailored public policies until recently in the field of participation. Instead, their participation in public affairs at the local level relies on general mandatory and nonmandatory mechanisms not suitable to vulnerable communities. This paper analyses the impact of public policies and legal mechanisms targeting the participation of minorities in the Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities at the local level from Fair Share Financing to the recent decentralisation and creation of Kosovo Serb majority municipalities.

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