Systematic (Non)Compliance with the Law on the Use of Languages: The Constitutional Court of Kosovo as a Positive Example
A large portion of content on communication platforms—including documents, announcements, press releases, notifications, and other relevant information—is available in the Serbian language, thereby significantly improving access to information for all citizens regardless of the language they speak, according to an analysis of the official website and social media channels of the Constitutional Court of Kosovo. However, certain linguistic inconsistencies were also observed, reflected in uneven translation practices across specific website categories and digital communication channels—some content has not been translated.
The issue of systematic violations of the Law on the Use of Languages in Kosovo has been raised for years, yet it persists despite the legal framework[1] that guarantees the equal use of Serbian and Albanian. As a result, non-majority communities—particularly those who communicate in Serbian—are denied access to essential information. This concern was also highlighted in the European Commission’s 2023[2] Report on Kosovo, where several sections point to the ongoing nature of this problem.
Therefore, NGO Aktiv, Radio Kim, New Social Initiative (NSI), and Radio Goraždevac continue their public advocacy campaign aimed at encouraging institutions to address this long-standing issue. This week, the focus is on the Constitutional Court of Kosovo, an institution whose practices we analyzed in two segments: examples of good and bad practices. After reviewing its official website and social media channels, we found that, unlike in our previous analyses which highlighted numerous linguistic issues and omissions, this institution has, to a much greater extent, complied with the legal norms of the Law on the Use of Languages.
The Constitutional Court of Kosovo is the highest judicial authority responsible for interpreting the Constitution and assessing the constitutionality of laws, acts, and decisions of all other institutions. As such, it is obliged to reflect fundamental constitutional principles in its work, including the principle of linguistic equality. Full compliance with language standards by the Constitutional Court is particularly important because the institution deals with issues that directly affect citizens’ rights, institutional accountability, and the functioning of the legal system. Transparency, accessibility, and public trust in its work cannot be fully achieved if a portion of the population lacks equal access to information in their own language.
It is therefore of vital importance that all information—including rulings, statements, announcements, decisions, as well as digital content on the website and social media—be synchronized and made available in both official languages. This not only fulfills legal obligations, but also strengthens the legitimacy and inclusiveness of the institution in a multiethnic society.
Examples of Good Practice
Website[3]: The homepage of the Constitutional Court of Kosovo’s website represents a good example of language rights compliance. The section intended for Serbian-speaking users is well-organized, readable, and functional, with clearly displayed categories and documents. Particularly important is the fact that all information available in Serbian is identical to that found on the Albanian version of the site, ensuring equal access for citizens who use either of the official languages.
Judges[4]: The “Judges” category is another example of good practice, as identical information is provided in both the Serbian and Albanian sections.
Organizational Chart[5]: In this section, language consistency is also upheld across both language versions of the site. The same applies to the “Court Building” category[6].
History[7]: The “History” section on the Serbian version of the site is accurately translated, free from spelling and language errors. Moreover, its content fully matches that of the Albanian version. This consistency is also observed in the sections titled “Jurisdiction”[8], “Internal Regulations”[9], “Legal Unit Regulation”[10], and the information concerning the Constitutional Court’s library[11].
Decisions[12]: In this category, it has been established that all documents are properly provided in both official languages – Serbian and Albanian. Users are also enabled to download decisions in the language of their choice. Additionally, the search and filter functionalities are fully translated and adapted in both language versions.
Statistics[13]: The section displaying graphs related to statistical tables is properly translated into the Serbian language.
Publications[14]: In the “Publications” category, it was observed that all uploaded documents — including informational bulletins, annual reports, strategic plans, and practical guides — are consistently available in both official languages, Serbian and Albanian.
News[15]: Language standards are consistently applied in the “News” section as well. All announcements are accessible in both Serbian and Albanian. The same applies to the category containing contact information[16], and the list of links[17] leading to other Kosovo institutions, international organizations, and constitutional courts around the world.
Employment[18]: The analysis of this category confirms full compliance with language norms — all information is identical and consistently presented in both Serbian and Albanian. In addition to current job postings and announcements, archived documents are also readily available in both official languages.
Examples of Poor Practice
Constitutional Court[19]: Although all uploaded documents in this category are titled in Serbian, their actual content is in Albanian.
Constitution[20]: One notable example of poor practice on the Constitutional Court of Kosovo’s website is the Constitution document, which appears under the Serbian section but is provided in Albanian. The same applies to the Law on the Constitutional Court[21].
Internal Regulations[22]: Another negative example is found in the “Internal Regulations” category, where documents are formally titled in Serbian, but their full content is exclusively in Albanian. The same issue is observed in the categories “Legal Unit Regulation”[23], “Practice Guidelines”[24], and “Code of Ethics”[25].
Video[26]: Out of the five uploaded video materials, the content is exclusively in Albanian, although their titles are available in Serbian. In some cases where subtitles are provided, they are available only in English, while subtitles in Serbian are missing.
Employment Form[27]: A negative practice has been identified in the provided employment form, although the title of the document is in Serbian, the entire content is exclusively in Albanian.
Social Media
Facebook[28]: On the official Facebook profile of the institution, the page title is listed exclusively in Albanian. However, an analysis of posts and written content reveals that all information is consistently provided in both official languages—Serbian and Albanian. Additionally, the profile clearly indicates that both languages are in use.
On the other hand, a negative practice has been observed regarding video content[29]. Out of a total of 11 available video clips on the platform, only two include Serbian-language translation, while the remaining videos are exclusively in Albanian, with no provided subtitles or dubbing in Serbian.
YouTube[30]: An analysis of the content on the official YouTube channel shows that bilingualism is present but remains inconsistent. Some video materials include translations or subtitles in both official languages, while others are available exclusively in Albanian.
X (formerly Twitter)[31]: An analysis of the Constitutional Court’s profile on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) revealed that communication is conducted exclusively in English. The profile name, activity descriptions, and all posted content are written in English, with no use of either Serbian or Albanian.
Why Is This Important?
As highlighted in our previous analyses, the systematic neglect of the Serbian language in Kosovo’s institutions remains a serious issue. However, this phase of our campaign demonstrates that examples of good practice do exist. Institutions such as the Constitutional Court of Kosovo are, to a large extent, capable of ensuring equal access to vital information in both official languages. At the same time, our analysis reveals certain linguistic inconsistencies and anomalies that could be easily addressed through additional institutional effort, ensuring that communication is fully aligned with legal standards.
The law clearly stipulates that Albanian and Serbian are equal official languages in Kosovo. However, the longstanding practice of ignoring this obligation, along with the silence surrounding the ongoing violation of language rights, continues to deny Serbian citizens and other non-majority communities—who rely on information in Serbian—their constitutionally and legally guaranteed right to equal access to public information.
It is therefore essential to replace the current practice of using unqualified translators or automated tools like Google Translate with professional, certified translators who can ensure clear and accurate translations into Serbian. Establishing a functional translation system would guarantee uninterrupted access to key information. More importantly, institutions would demonstrate their commitment—not only to linguistic rights—but to fundamental human rights as well, including those of non-majority communities, as protected by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights[32].
It is important to emphasize that good practices in respecting language equality often come from the civil society sector. Numerous civil society organizations, despite limited resources and significantly smaller budgets compared to Kosovo’s public institutions, consistently publish all their activities, reports, and digital content in three languages—Albanian, Serbian, and English. This fact clearly demonstrates that the obstacles to ensuring linguistic equality are not solely a matter of capacity, but primarily of institutional will and commitment. In that regard, Kosovo’s institutions—including the Constitutional Court—have sufficient resources and capabilities to provide timely and high-quality translations of all content into Serbian. Doing so would further strengthen public trust and enhance inclusivity in public communication.
Therefore, we encourage the Constitutional Court of Kosovo to consistently apply its existing good practices of translating content into Serbian and to fully implement this across all segments. By doing so, it can set a standard and serve as a model for other institutions to follow.
Once again, we call on the Office of the Prime Minister to move beyond political rhetoric and symbolic commitments to minority rights, and instead take concrete action by instructing all institutions to align their language practices with the legal requirements at every prescribed level.
At the same time, we once again call on the Office of the Language Commissioner to begin the effective implementation of legal provisions within its mandate. This includes building an institutional environment that respects constitutional and legal obligations, as well as ensuring the protection, promotion, preservation, and enforcement of the language rights of all citizens of Kosovo.
Once again, we encourage all citizens to actively engage in this process and report any observed language irregularities to the relevant institutions, such as the Office of the Language Commissioner (zkgj.kpj@gmail.com) and the Ombudsperson Institution (info.oik@oik-rks.org). We also invite everyone to contact NGO Aktiv (office@ngoaktiv.org) if they come across specific language anomalies, and thereby join us in urging the competent institutions to respect the legally prescribed language standards.
[1] https://kryeministri.rks-gov.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/ZAKON_BR._02_L-37_O_UPOTREBI_JEZIKA1346.pdf
[2] https://enlargement.ec.europa.eu/document/download/c790738e-4cf6-4a43-a8a9-43c1b6f01e10_en?filename=Kosovo%20Report%202024.pdf
[3] https://gjk-ks.org/
[4] https://gjk-ks.org/about/judges
[5] https://gjk-ks.org/about/organizational-chart
[6] https://gjk-ks.org/about/building-court
[7] https://gjk-ks.org/about/history
[8] https://gjk-ks.org/about/competencies
[9] https://gjk-ks.org/about/internal-regulations
[11] https://gjk-ks.org/library
[12] https://gjk-ks.org/decisions
[13] https://gjk-ks.org/statisticalTables
[14] https://gjk-ks.org/publications/index
[15] https://gjk-ks.org/notifications/index
[16] https://gjk-ks.org/contact
[17] https://gjk-ks.org/quickLinks
[18] https://gjk-ks.org/employment/index
[19] https://gjk-ks.org/about/index
[20] https://gjk-ks.org/about/constitution
[21] https://gjk-ks.org/about/law-court
[22] https://gjk-ks.org/about/internal-regulations
[23] https://gjk-ks.org/about/regulation-legal-entity
[24] https://gjk-ks.org/about/guidance-practices
[25] https://gjk-ks.org/about/code-ethics
[26] https://gjk-ks.org/notifications/video
[27] https://gjk-ks.org/src/assets/employmentDocs/formulari_per_punesim__shq_2022.pdf
[28] https://www.facebook.com/GjykataKushtetuese
[29] https://www.facebook.com/GjykataKushtetuese/videos
[30] https://www.youtube.com/@gjykatakushtetueseRKS/videos
[31] https://x.com/const_courtrks
[32] https://www.ohchr.org/en/human-rights/universal-declaration/translations/serbian-latin-srpski
