Skopje, 4 November 2022 (MIA) - Rule of law as one of the fundamental values on which the European Union is based and the commitment of the Ministry of Justice to reforms in the justice system were the main topics addressed by Deputy Justice Minister Agim Nuhiu at the EU-Western Balkans Ministerial Forum on Justice and Home Affairs in Tirana. "The introduction and strengthening of measurable selection and promotion criteria for judges and public prosecutors, that is, for the members of the Judicial Council and the Council of Public Prosecutors, gave results in the direction of strengthening the quality in the courts and public prosecutor's offices. In addition, the adopted laws and bylaws have enabled real assessment and evaluation of the judges' work by evaluating the complexity of the cases they handled and other parameters, which raised the quality to a higher level in relation to the quantity," said Deputy Minister Nuhiu. He also referred to the Strategy for the Reform of the Justice Sector 2017-2022 with and Action Plan, as well as the Draft Law on the Academy for Judges and Public Prosecutors, which is in parliamentary procedure, the Ministry of Justice said in a press release. Nuhiu also emphasized the significant role of the ICT Council in the judiciary and the digitization process, which during the Covid-19 crisis proved to be a necessity if the country wants smooth implementation of laws and procedures within a reasonable time. The Deputy Minister emphasized the activities for drafting the new Criminal Code, stressing that the process has broad support in the country and international organizations, primarily the OSCE. "The key issues considered within the framework of the new Criminal Code are related to the implementation of the latest international standards in this area, especially in the fields of terrorism, financial fraud and implementation of standards contained in the Istanbul Convention," Nuhiu told the Ministerial Forum. On the forum sidelines, Deputy Minister Nuhiu held a bilateral meeting with European Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders. dk/ik/