AKM Awaiting Constitutional Court Ruling on Municipal Recruitment, Ibrahimi Opposes Centralisation of Powers

The Constitutional Court has yet to respond to the Association of Kosovo Municipalities (AKM) regarding its request concerning the constitutionality of Regulation No. 07/2025 on the Civil Service Recruitment Procedure. Municipalities believe that the regulation affects their local autonomy by concentrating the relevant powers at the central level.

The AKM referred the matter to the Constitutional Court on 28 May 2026, requesting a review of Regulation No. 07/2025 on the Civil Service Recruitment Procedure.

The submission was officially filed by Rahovec Mayor Smajl Latifi, who was authorised to represent the AKM.

According to the Association of Kosovo Municipalities, the regulation approved by the Government directly interferes with the constitutional powers of municipalities and undermines local self-government because it centralises procedures for recruiting municipal staff.

This normative act establishes new rules for the recruitment process, the establishment of commissions, the evaluation of candidates and their appointment to the civil service.

AKM Executive Director Sazan Ibrahimi told Eo in an interview that the decision to refer the matter to the Constitutional Court was made by the Council of Mayors of the Association of Kosovo Municipalities. He said Latifi submitted the request on behalf of municipal mayors, but no information has yet been provided about how it is being handled.

Ibrahimi said municipal mayors believe that concentrating power at the central level is not in line with the Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo or with the laws in force governing recruitment procedures. According to him, this is a clear tendency towards the centralisation of powers, and municipalities expect the Constitutional Court to rule in their favour soon, since recruitment has consistently been conducted at the local level.

According to him, municipal mayors consider it unfair for the central level, namely the Ministry of Internal Affairs and its human resources unit, to determine who can be employed as a civil servant in one municipality or another.

He said municipalities expect a swift decision from the Constitutional Court so that they can continue the activities planned in the recent past and the procedures they had also carried out previously.

Ibrahimi also warned that centralising recruitment procedures could reduce candidates’ interest in jobs in municipalities, especially among professionals.

According to him, holding procedures in Pristina could discourage residents of certain municipalities from applying for jobs, while it makes no sense for the central level to decide who should be a civil servant in one municipality or another. He stressed that this could lead to a lack of interest among suitable candidates, especially professionals, in joining municipal civil administration.