Public administration in an atypical transition and the need for the agents of Europeanisation in Kosovo

Abstract

This article explores public administration reform in Kosovo. Given that the main political discourse in the country after the 2008 Declaration of Independence has involved European integration, reform is directed at achieving European Union benchmarks and its governance values. The aim of this paper is threefold: To analyse how the atypical transition in Kosovo affects administrative and governance reforms, to examine the Europeanisation process and efforts to harmonise legislation with the European Union's acquis communautaire as the main driving force towards a successful transition, and to reiterate the relevance and function of the education system in the Europeanisation process. The article concludes by asking and debating the following question: Can the Europeanisation process be accomplished successfully when the educational system, which is limited in scale, does not manage to generate a sufficient number of agents of Europeanisation?.