Last week, EULEX alongside the Swedish Prosecution Authority and the Kosovo Academy of Justice conducted a two-day training on media communication for prosecutors and prosecution officials, with the aim enhancing the skills of Kosovo Prosecutors and other communication officials working in the prosecution offices, to deal and communicate with the media and public.

Held at the Emerald hotel on the 29^th and 30^th of March, the practical training focused on managing crisis communication, external and internal communication and the challenges of communication with the media.

Lorenzo Sattanino, Special Assistant to the to the EULEX Deputy Head of Executive Division and also Project Manager, stated that “the overall project objective is to enhance the capacity of Kosovo Prosecutors and Prosecution Officials to communicate effectively with media and the general public by improving their theoretical awareness and practical familiarity with some of the key-concepts of communication.”

Over the course of the two days participants were given training that underlined the importance of continuing a clear dialogue between the media and prosecution authorities. The introductory training focused on acquiring additional professional skills such as theoretical awareness and familiarity with the key concepts of media communication, namely journalistic interview skills and techniques.

Following the introductory training, participants took part in an interactive discussion with role-plays based on possible crisis scenarios. Prosecution officials were able to put into practice the training and receive feedback that overall enhanced their capacity to handle media public communication.

Meanwhile, Hekrem Lutfiu, spokesperson of the SPRK emphasised the importance of this type of training by highlighting the need of having joint trainings for both prosecutors and spokespersons. “Also, I would like to add that it would be very useful to have these trainings with journalists being present as well. In this way the exchange of experiences can be even more practical” concluded Lutfiu.

EULEX is dedicated to communicating justice and the transferring of prosecutorial matters to Kosovo prosecutors.