LEGAL AND POLITICAL STUDIES - Key Persons
Alba Dushi is a Research Fellow at GLPS. Her research focuses mainly in strategic litigation, human rights, labor, public administration and environmental law. Prior to joining GLPS, Alba worked as an associate at Pallaska & Associates L.L.C., a law firm in Prishtina. Alba is a Fulbright scholar and holds an LLM degree in International Arbitration from the University of Miami School of Law.
Job Titles:
- Senior Research Fellow at GLPS
Albana Merja is a Senior Research Fellow at GLPS. Her work focuses on issues of EU integration, political parties and democratization. Her research includes topics such as the EU policy of conditionality towards Kosovo, visa liberalization and the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA). She has also worked on issues related to the performance of the judiciary in light of the international standards on free and fair trial, as well as issues related to the international rule of law mission in Kosovo.
Before joining GLPS, Albana worked as the Head of Department at the General Directorate of Standardization in the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Energy in Albania. She also worked as an intern at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs, and Equal Opportunities in Albania. Albana holds a BSc in Political Science from the University of Tirana, Albania, and an MA in Contemporary European Politics from the University of Sussex, United Kingdom.
Job Titles:
- Senior Research Fellow at GLPS
Albana Rexha is a Senior Research Fellow at GLPS. Her research primarily focuses on good governance and public policy in the context of EU enlargement policy. She has joined GLPS in 2013 and since then has successfully initiated and led various projects that focused on good governance, EU integration, public administration, and anti-corruption. She has also worked on issues related to Kosovo's membership in international organisations, regulatory agencies, and rule of law reforms.
Albana is currently a PhD researcher at the South East European University in North Macedonia and has been a visiting PhD researcher at the Central European University in Hungary and at the Willy Brandt School of Public Policy in Germany. She also holds an MA in Public Policy from the Central European University in Hungary, where she was honored as the student speaker of the year, and a BA degree from the Rochester Institute of Technology (earned through the American University in Kosovo). In addition, she has attended summer school classes on Economy in Transition Countries of South East Europe at the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. She has taken part in a number of conferences and is a published author.
Albana is a winner of several prestigious awards and scholarships including the DAAD short-term research grant, OSF Civil Society Scholar Award, Central European University Fellowship, OSF Young Professional Development Fellowship, the AUK Excellence Award Scholarship, the IPKO Foundation Scholarship, valedictorian student. Before joining GLPS, Albana worked as a research intern at the OSF in Budapest. She also has experience working for both local and international organizations, including USAID/ Chemonics, the Center for Research Documentation and Publication, and the Ministry of Finance in Kosovo.
Job Titles:
- Resident International Research Fellow at Group for Legal
Alejandro Esteso Pérez is a Non-resident International Research Fellow at Group for Legal and Political Studies, having first joined the team in 2020. His research focuses primarily on European integration and enlargement issues, as well as on Kosovo's political relations with EU Member States, the Serbia-Kosovo dialogue, and the domestic politics of Western Balkan countries.
Alejandro has developed his career between EU institutions, the think-tank sector and academia, gathering several years' experience in and around the Western Balkans. He currently pursues PhD studies in Political Science at the University of Graz in Austria, and regularly contributes to several media outlets through written analyses and opinion pieces on Western Balkan political affairs and EU integration. He holds an MA in Political Science from Malmö University in Sweden and a BA in International Relations from Rey Juan Carlos University in Madrid.
Arbër Fetahu is a Research Fellow at GLPS. His work is primary focused on foreign policy, public policy, democratization, European integration, and governance. Arbër is a master graduate in Global/International Studies at Missouri State University as part of the USAID Transformational Leadership Program. His studies focused mainly on international relations theory, foreign policy analysis, comparative politics and the politics of various world regions. Arbër finished his bachelor studies in political science at University of Prishtina.
Before joining GLPS in December 2019, Arbër worked as a researcher at the Research Institute of Development and European Affairs, and at the University of Prishtina Venture Incubator - VentureUP in the capacity of the director of Communications and Monitoring and Evaluation. Prior to that Arbër worked as a journalist at Klan Kosova TV, covering mainly the field of politics.
Job Titles:
- Chief Financial Officer
- Chief Financial Officer ( CFO ) at GLPS
Artan Stavileci is the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at GLPS. He is responsible for accounting and financial management of the organization, ranging from financial transactions, booking in the accounting system to preparing periodical, annual and project-based financial statements. He is also involved in designing project and annual budgets and direct financial reporting for multiple donors and managing external audits.
Prior to joining GLPS, Artan was the CFO of the Forum for Democratic Initiatives and worked as a Project Coordinator at the Local Development Agency. He holds a BA in Banking, Finance and Accounting from the University of Prishtina and is a member of the Society of Certified Accountants and Auditors of Kosovo. In addition, Artan is a certified asset and business valuator for the Kosovo Appraisers Association by the University of Ulster in the United Kingdom.
Bardha Maxhuni is a Research Fellow at GLPS. Her area of focus among others includes analysis of Kosovo's legislation, Public Administration reform, Judiciary Reform and Anti- Corruption.
Bardha holds a Master Degree in International Law from AU Washington College of Law, United States and a BA in law from University of Prishtina, Faculty of Law. She was a scholar of USAID Transformational Leadership Programme. After college she has worked as a paralegal at a private law firm where she has expanded her experience and knowledge in the legal field. She has also worked at the Embassy of the Republic of Albania in Kosovo and as a researcher at the Kosovar Center for Security Studies where she has conducted research in the international legal cooperation in criminal matters.
Bekim Demiri joined GLPS in September 2022. He currently covers a wide portfolio, including good governance, public administration reform, digitalization, and data protection. With over 19 years of experience, Bekim engaged in various capacities within the public sector in Kosovo. He was a team leader and a pioneer of several software projects with the aim of digitalization of processes and procedures in the provision of services, as well as the public administration reform, and software and database administration of systems such as Payroll System and Information System for Human Resources Management. He was also an active member in the process of drafting and implementation of the key PAR legal package, in particular in the classification of existing positions in the public sector for the effect of cost and implementation of the newest Law on Salaries. He also served as a State Supervisor for the protection of personal data.
Bekim's specific experience includes digitalization of work processes in the public administration, administration of software systems, and civil service reform, among others. Bekim has a BSc in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Pristina, and a MA in General International Management.
Blerina joined GLPS in July 2023. Her work focuses mainly in the rule of law, in various projects and initiatives managed by the organization. She has a BSc from the Faculty of Law at the University of Prishtina, and a MSc majoring in Contract and Commercial Law, at the same University. Since her third year of studies, Blerina has been engaged in various projects and practices, both in the civil and criminal fields.
She has shared experience at the Permanent Arbitration Tribunal in Kosovo, through the Commercial Law project at USAID. In addition, Blerina has also shared experience in monitoring trials for war crimes in the Courts of Kosovo, but also in the Specialized Chambers of The Hague. Throughout her studies, Blerina has been engaged in various trainings, competitions and international workshops.
Job Titles:
- International and European Integration Issues
- Research Fellow at the Group for Legal
Bárbara Matias is a Non-resident / Affiliated Research Fellow at the Group for Legal and Political Studies. Her research focus includes rule of law, international and European integration issues, primarily the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue and the EU enlargement strategy.
Bárbara was a Fulbright graduate scholar at Columbia University in New York, USA. There she completed her MA in Human Rights Studies and was invited to be an undergraduate lecturer. Her academic background is International Relations and Political Science, with a concentration in migration, forced displacement and European affairs. She has served as keynote speaker for the High Commissioner for Migration in Portugal.
Bárbara has previously interned at the Political Affairs and Security Policy Division of NATO, in Brussels, Belgium, where she integrated teams focused on defense capacity-building of partner nations from Southeast Europe and the Caucasus, and at the Operations Unit of Eurojust, in The Hague, The Netherlands, being involved reporting on operational coordination of illegal immigration and trafficking of human beings cases. Her international background also includes work at the Portuguese diplomatic missions in Austria and Sweden.
Dea Fetiu joined the Group for Legal and Political Studies (GLPS) in October 2023, as a Project Coordinator. Before joining GLPS, Dea worked as a Research Assistant and Project Officer at the Kosovar Centre for Security Studies. During this time, she was actively involved in the Gender, Peace, and Security Programme, specializing in research related to women's agency within security institutions. Dea also contributed to projects focusing on Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (P/CVE), and Peacebuilding and Reconciliation. She was also a part of projects with Medica Mondiale through Medica Gjakova, where she participated in a national research project addressing sexualized violence during the war.
She is also a participant in international law competitions, through the University of Prishtina, competing in the Philip C. Jessup Moot Court Competition and the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot. Furthermore, Dea is a human rights activist, and a Dialogue Academy alumna, having completed the program offered by the OSCE Mission in Kosovo and the OSCE Mission to Serbia. She has also been actively involved in various other projects with the DA Network of the OSCE, demonstrating her commitment to peacebuilding, dialogue, and women's rights.
Job Titles:
- Senior Research Fellow at GLPS
Delfinë Elshani is a Senior Research Fellow at GLPS. Her research focuses on topics related to economics, migration issues, trade, privatization, budgetary process and practices of government institutions, as well as rule of law. As a Research Fellow, Delfinë frequently engages with various Kosovo institutions and government ministries, as well as political parties and municipal representatives.
Donika Çeta joined GLPS in November 2021. Her work is mainly focused on strategic litigation, privacy and data protection. She previously worked as a Senior Legal Officer at the Legal Office of the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) for almost three years. Serving in this role, she worked on drafting legal acts. She was responsible to coordinate and review the work of ministries regarding drafting legislation for the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning and the Ministry of Infrastructure.
Donika was the Head of the Appeals Commission on Foreigners. This Commission is mandated to decide on appeals of foreigners against decisions issued by the first instance. Prior to that she worked as a Senior Legal Officer at the Legal Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Donika finished her bachelor studies at the University of Pristina, Faculty of Law. She holds a LL.M degree in Advanced Studies in Law and Digital Technologies from the Leiden University in the Netherlands.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director
- Senior Research Fellow
Dr. Arbëresha Loxha is the Executive Director and a Senior Research Fellow at GLPS. Dr. Loxha holds both a Masters and a PhD in Economics from the University of Staffordshire, United Kingdom. Arbëresha is among the first research fellows at GLPS, who has unequivocally contributed to GLPS's growth and professionalism. At GLPS, Arbëresha served in many positions and primarily covered the research in economic, good governance and public administration areas. In addition, Arbëresha led dozens of research projects in Kosovo and abroad, and was an active member of economic research initiatives. She was a leading expert to take part in testimonies for numerous institutions and government bodies in Kosovo and international organization based in Kosovo, in which she shared her expertise on a range of social and economic issues. Over the last two years, Arbëresha was a professor covering management courses at both bachelor and master level of studies. Dr. Loxha rich background of academic research and publications are yet another confirmation of her standing as an expert, leader and powerful women. In this new position, Dr. Loxha aspires to lead GLPS further growth and impact, diversify its portfolio, expand its European network and help Kosovo democratize.
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor
- Co - Founder
Fisnik Korenica is an associate professor of the theory of law, rhetoric of law and methodology of legal writing at the Faculty of Law of the University of Prishtina, Republic of Kosovo. He is also co-founder and formerly a director at Group for Legal and Political Studies, a leading think tank in Kosovo, a post-doctoral researcher with Human Rights & Constitutionalism Research Group at Faculty of Law and Criminology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, and an ENGAGE Fellow with Center for European Policy Studies in Brussels. He has been an OSI Chevening Scholar as well as an OSI PhD fellow. Professor Korenica serves as an expert and consultant for many international organizations and governments on issues relating to state-building, treaty law, human rights, succession of states, mediation, foreign policy and inter-state conflict resolution.
Professor Korenica holds an LLB from the University of Prishtina, an MA from the University of Sussex in UK and a PhD from Vrije Universiteit Brussel in Belgium. He is widely published in numerous international peer-review journals, including International Journal of Constitutional Law, European Constitutional Law Review, Maastricht Journal of European and Comparative Law, International Review of Administrative Sciences, etc. He has a publication record of 37+ research articles with renown international journals and two books, one with Springer and one with Kluwer Law International
Job Titles:
- Research Fellow for Parliamentary Affairs at GLPS
Dren Ajeti is a Research Fellow for Parliamentary Affairs at GLPS. His research focuses mainly on public law, support to the parliamentary committees in draft-law making process, and rule of law issues. Dren also participates in the working groups organized by the Ministry of Justice and Public Administration on drafting various laws. As a researcher, Dren frequently engages with various Kosovo institutions, political parties, international institutions and civil society organizations.
Job Titles:
- Procurement & Finance Officer
Durim is engaged at the capacity of a Procurement and Finance Officer within the organization. He is responsible for the arrangement of tendering documents, procurement processes and financial assistance in general.
He holds a BSc in banking, finance & accounting from the Iliria University. Prior to joining GLPS, he worked as a procurement and finance manager to different private companies, and has an extensive experience of more than 11 years in the field.
Ema joined GLPS in 2018. Her work is focused primarily in project management and coordination where her main responsibilities include implementing and monitoring project activities. She is involved in the projects related to the legislative regulation of access to public documents, environmental policies through the importance of acquis standards and their adoption in Kosovo's legislation, monitoring of public consultations.
Ema Pula studied Law at the University of Prishtina. Before she joined Group for Legal and Political Studies, she was engaged in a 1 year internship in USAID Kosovo, respectively in the program "Contract Law Enforcement". In the meantime she was also engaged in volunteer activities which included increasing awareness of higher education for high school students coming from the minority groups and the other one about building bridges between youth and seniors coming from retirement home.
Job Titles:
- Senior Research Fellow at GLPS
Erëza Pula is a Senior Research Fellow at GLPS. Her work includes quantitative and qualitative research mainly on economics, foreign direct investment, good governance and rule of law, financing of political parties, labour market, wage inequality, and, amongst others, trade related topics. In her role as a Research Fellow, Erëza also engages with various Kosovo institutions and agencies, as well as international institutions and civil society organizations.
Francisco José García Martínez is a Research Fellow at GLPS focusing on Governance and European Integration issues, including the SAA and Human Rights. He is also concentrated on European politics, more specifically in Security and Enlargement. In his capacity as researcher, he engages with international institutions in Pristina and other Civil Society Organizations, as well as various governmental agencies and Ministries.
Before joining GLPS, Francisco completed an internship at EULEX Kosovo, where he provided legal assistance and mentoring to the Civil Registration Agency and the Directorate for Citizenship, Asylum and Migration. He also has experience practicing law, being a member of the Bar Association in Spain. He holds a Master of Arts in European Political and Administrative Studies from the College of Europe, in Bruges, Belgium. He has also completed two Master degrees in Law and in Political Sciences and Administration at the University of Granada, Spain.
Leke is a Research fellow at GLPS. His research focuses on topics related to the rule of law in Kosovo, international law, Kosovo-Serbia dialogue and human rights issues. As a research fellow he engages with various Kosovo institutions and government ministries.
Liridon's work is mainly focused in rule of law sector, covering mostly the judicial and prosecutorial system in Kosovo, as well as the relevant parliamentary committees. Among others, he engages in regularly monitoring the recruitment processes within the justice sector, as well as the main legislative initiatives and rule of law reforms in Kosovo.
He was previously engaged as a Monitoring Officer within the project titled: "Monitoring of the Judicial and Prosecutorial System in Kosovo", funded by the British Embassy in Prishtina, and implemented by GLPS. He served in this position for a three-year period. Liridon has finished both his BA and MA in the Criminal Program at the University of Pristina, while he successfully passed the Bar Exam in January 2019.
Job Titles:
- International Research Fellow at GLPS
Marije Luitjens is an international research fellow at GLPS. During her time at GLPS, Marije will conduct (policy) research that is among others rooted in peace and conflict studies, human rights, identity studies and political science. Next to conducting this research, she is a PhD candidate at the Dublin City University in Ireland. She has moved to Kosovo to conduct qualitative field research as part of her wider PhD research, which is rooted in the fields of peacebuilding and resilience.
Marije has been working within the field of peace studies, both as an academic and as an employee within the civil society sector. Regarding the latter, she has for example worked for the Kosovo program within the Dutch NGO Pax for Peace, and for an urban violence program of Save the Children Honduras in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Her most recent policy research centered around the role of education in Preventing Violent Extremism (PVE) in Lebanon, funded by the Knowledge Platform Security and Rule of Law. Educated as an anthropologist at the Utrecht university in the Netherlands, she has field work experience in Honduras, Catalunya, Srebrenica, Kosovo and Lebanon.
Job Titles:
- Political Parties, Migration, European Integration, Public Policy, Foreign Policy
Job Titles:
- Project Officer at the GLPS
Mirgjin Zhubi is a Project Officer at the GLPS. His work includes coordination of project activities, monitoring, desk and field research, direct assistance to the projects pertaining to rule of law, as well as reviewing of the legislation related to the Judiciary and Prosecution.
Job Titles:
- Project Coordinator
- Project Coordinator at GLPS
Ms. Blina Zhubi is a Project Coordinator at GLPS. In general, her work focuses on coordinating activities and initiatives run by the organization. She primarily engages with the regular monitoring of the National Plan for the Implementation of the SAA (NPISAA) in Kosovo, and the European Reform Agenda (ERA).
Naser Shamolli joined GLPS in February 2021 in the capacity of a Senior Policy Fellow. His work is primary focused on public administration reform, rule of law and good governance. Before joining GLPS, Naser worked in various position in public administration of the Republic of Kosovo. He worked as a Senior Officer for the Oversight of the Municipalities at the Ministry of Local Government Administration for two years. Afterwards he was promoted to Head of Department of the Central Administration at the Ministry of Public Administration for four years. In 2012 he was appointed Head of Legal Department at the same ministry.
With more than 9 years of experience in the civil service, he was engaged in many reform processes in Public Administration. He participated in the drafting processes of the main strategic documents regarding public administration, including the strategy for modernization of public administration, the strategy of better regulation, the strategy for training of civil servants and the strategy for national development. He led many working groups of the Ministry of Public Administration during the drafting of primary and secondary legislation. He also led the working group for drafting the main law package of PAR in Kosovo, including the Law on General Administrative Procedure and the package of legislation for public administration (incl. Law for Organization and Functioning of State Administration and Independent Agencies, Law for Public Officials and Law for Salaries in Public Sector) and the draft law for Administrative Disputes. He cooperated closely with European Commission and SIGMA/OECD for all the reforms conducted during the past years in public administration of the Republic of Kosovo.
Naser finished both, bachelor and master's degree at University of Pristina, Faculty of Law. His studies focused on Constitutional and Administrative Law.
Njomza is a Programme Manager at GLPS. In this capacity, she is responsible for the overall performance of the organization, with emphasis on programs, research quality, and projects. Her work also focuses on planning and deciding suitable strategies and objectives for the organization, seeking funding, and risk and resource management, among others. In her position, she also directly engages with Kosovo institutions, local government, civil society organizations and donors, in Kosovo, regionally, and the EU. She is a co-author the Freedom House Nations in Transit Report Kosovo 2021, and has contributed to the same report in 2020 and 2019. Currently, she also acts as the Project Director for the Centre for Strategic Litigation, a first of its kind in Kosovo established by GLPS, serving as a platform that seeks to strengthen the rule of law in Kosovo through strategic litigation. In 2022, she participated in the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), among the most prestigious exchange programs sponsored by the U.S. Department of State. Njomza is a Member of the Heinrich Boll Western Balkan Strategy Group, since 2023.
With more than 13 years of experience, Njomza was directly engaged in the strategic management and implementation of different major projects for Kosovo institutions, international organizations, and civil society. Prior to joining GLPS, she was a Project Manager at a leading consulting company in Kosovo, where she was involved in planning, management, and monitoring of projects funded by the European Union Office in Kosovo, UNDP, USAID, and other donor organizations in Kosovo. Njomza has a BSc in Business Administration from the South East European (SEE) University in North Macedonia. She is an alumni of IVLP, and the Regional Academy for Democracy - RAD.
Job Titles:
- Project Officer
- Project Officer at GLPS
Njomza Mjeku is a Project Officer at GLPS. During her work she provides assistance to the project teams, assists with planning and coordination of activities and events, conducts desk research and is directly engaged with monitoring different processes and provides administrative support among others.
Before joining GLPS, Njomza worked as an intern at the University of Pristina, Faculty of Education, in the office of Financial Officer. Njomza has a BA in Management and Informatics from University of Prishtina.
Job Titles:
- Master
- Administration Reform, Public Policy, Welfare Policy and Socio - Economic Development
- Research Fellow at GLPS
Përparim Kryeziu is a Research Fellow at GLPS. His work is primary focused on administration reform, public policy, welfare policy and socio-economic development.
Përparim is a master graduate with high honors in Economic Sociology at Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, Portugal as part of the SIGMA Agile scholarship program for Western Balkan countries. He also studied in University of Antwerp, Belgium in a year-long exchange during his undergraduate studies through the Join EU-SEE program funded by the European Commission.
Before joining GLPS in October 2017, Përparim worked as a research assistant at the Kosovar Center for Security studies, and at the American Councils for International Education in the capacity of the Alumni Coordinator for the Youth Exchange and Study (YES) program.
Renata joined GLPS in January 2022. Her focus is mainly on rule of law issues and sector's reform processes in Kosovo. Before joining Group for Legal and Political Studies, she was engaged as a Legal Officer in the private sector with a focus on Commercial Law. She also served as a Legal Advisor and Legal Associate in the private sector, working mainly with the drafting of documents, and agreements, conducting legal research, and ensuring legal compliance. Renata was engaged as an intern in Kosovo Customs in the Sector of Representations, Sector for Advice and Procedures, and Reviewing Decisions Sector, as well as in the Ombudsperson Institution of Kosovo within the Children's Rights Department. She served as a Legal Researcher at SENSE Cyber Research Center with a focus on Cyber Security and Data Protection for almost three years.
She graduated in Law from the University of Prishtina, Faculty of Law, and was honored as a distinguished student of the Law School. She is currently pursuing her Master of Laws in the Criminal Program at the University of Prishtina. During the course of her studies and afterward, Renata has attended several courses, trainings, and clinics, including the clinic "UNHCR and the International Refugee Law" organized by UNHCR, the "Criminal Law Clinic" organized by USAID - Justice Matters Activity in Kosovo, training "Education on Justice" organized by Infinite Academy, also she attended a summer school on Transitional Justice.
Job Titles:
- Senior Research Fellow at GLPS
Rreze Hoxha Zhuja is a Senior Research Fellow at GLPS. Her research is primary focused on the Rule of Law Sector, covering mostly the Judicial System in Kosovo, Public Administration Reform Process, Human Rights, and Anti-corruption. She supports parliamentary committees in draft law making process. As a researcher, she regularly engages with various institutions including public institutions and civil society organizations. She also manages the GLPS's monitoring program of the Judicial and Prosecutorial system in Kosovo.
Umberto Cucchi is a Research Fellow at GLPS. His research focuses on rule of law, democratization and energy sustainability. As a Research Fellow, Umberto also engages with various Kosovo institutions and agencies, as well as international institutions and civil society organizations.
Prior to joining GLPS, he worked at the United Nations and the World Energy Council, engaging with energy development of the Western Balkans and research and analysis related to the de-politicization of public administrations of the region. Umberto holds a Bachelor of Arts from John Cabot University and a Master of Arts from King's College London in International Political Economy.