Skopje, 28 September 2021 (MIA) – Judges don’t feel connected enough with the Judicial Council’s work. They feel alienated believing that the Judicial Council isn’t the body representing and defending its interests or that it is advancing the independence of judiciary in general. In the future, the Judicial Council is expected to champion reform with hopes that the reformed judicial system and the methodologies to evaluate judges’ performance will bring some kind of positive outcome in the judiciary. These are the findings of a monitoring of the Judicial Council and the interviews conducted with 14 current and two former judges that were presented at Tuesday’s closing conference on the impact of the merit system on judicial independence and professionalism in North Macedonia, organized by the “Everyone for a Fair Trial” coalition. The analysis reveals lack of complete transparency in the work of the Judicial Council and lack of elaborations in decisions on appointing or dismissing judges, according to Natali Petrovska, the coalition’s executive director. “The research also involved interviews with a large group of current and dismissed judges. I cannot say there’s positive impression about the work of the Judicial Council simply because they don’t feel connected enough with the body, they feel alienated and they feel the Judicial Council isn’t representing and defending its interests,” Petrovska told reporters. The reforms, the work rulebooks and the election of judges are aimed at increasing public trust in the work of the judges, said Pavlina Crvenkovska, President of North Macedonia’s Judicial Council. “The priority of the Judicial Council is to have quality judges, dedicated to their profession and capable of closing cases on time. The more efficient and responsible judges we have, the more justice will be delivered quickly and efficiently,” she said. Judges are the most responsible in meeting crucial goals, including respect of human rights and liberties enshrined in the Constitution, the laws and international documents, according to Supreme Court President Besa Ademi. “The judges’ integrity is key and judges, being part of the judicial system, should protect themselves their independence. It is possible to exert influence on judges, but if they stick to the law and ethics, abide by facts and laws, then there is no way to influence them in any way,” she said. It is necessary, Ademi said, judges to constantly improve their skills since they are the foundation to increase public trust.