News

As part of its action aimed at strengthening and implementing the Integrity Plan, the HAPE project organised two training sessions for the eight regions of the Kosovo Police, focusing on conflicts of interest and whistleblower protection. More than 200 police officers participated in these two sessions. Interpretation in Albanian and Serbian was also provided by the project. For the delivery of these training sessions, the HAPE project engaged an expert from Civipol, who provided technical and operational expertise based on European Union standards and best practices. The objective of the trainings was to enhance participants' understanding of the legal, ethical related risks, and to promote a culture of integrity, transparency and accountability within the Kosovo Police.

Training Content

1. EU definition of conflicts of interest and whistleblower framework
The training started with a presentation of the European Union definition of conflicts of interest, including the key principles applicable to public officials. In parallel, the European and national frameworks on whistleblower protection were presented, with particular emphasis on rights, safeguards, institutional obligations and internal and external reporting channels.

2. Participant engagement and identification of risk situations
Initial interaction with participants was ensured through simple and practical questions based on everyday professional situations, encouraging reflection and highlighting the potential existence of conflicts of interest or situations that may require reporting. Attention was given to the declaration of conflicts of interest and to the role of whistleblowers in preventing and detecting integrity breaches.

3. Knowledge assessment – multiple-choice questionnaire (MCQ)
A multiple-choice questionnaire (MCQ) was used to assess participants' understanding of:

• the identification of conflicts of interest;
• declaration obligations;
• reporting mechanisms and whistleblower protection.

4. Practical approach – scenario-based exercises
Scenario-based practical exercises enabled participants to:

• distinguish between an ethical breach, a conflict of interest, and a situation requiring whistleblowing;
• analyse facts and legally qualify the situations presented;
• determine the appropriate measures and sanctions, as well as the reporting procedures to be activated while ensuring the protection of whistleblowers.

Conclusion

The training sessions generated active participation and constructive exchanges. They strengthened participants' capacity to prevent, identify and manage conflicts of interest, as well as to understand and apply reporting mechanisms and whistleblower protection, thereby contributing to the effective implementation of the Integrity Plan, in line with European Union standards and best practices. The feedback received from the Kosovo authorities has been very positive, highlighting the relevance, practical value and operational impact of the training sessions.