Skopje, 29 May 2024 (MIA) - At its 488th session on Wednesday the Judicial Council adopted amendments to the rulebook on ranking candidates in the election of judges in higher courts, in line with the recommendations noted in the report of the EU peer review mission on the functioning of the Council.

With the amendments, each supplementary task carried out by a judge will be taken into account, while the delegation of judges won’t be seen as punishment but as reward and will result in added points. The candidates will also receive points for the mentorship of judges and the holding of posts after the end of their terms, such as being a member of the Judicial Council, director, deputy director of the Academy for Judges and Public Prosecutors, judge at the Constitutional Court, public prosecutor or judge in an international court.

The President of the Judicial Council, Vesna Dameva, assessed the amendments to the rulebook as an essential activity aimed at the implementation of the recommendations of the European Union, noted in the report of the EU peer review mission.

“In 2020, a rulebook was adopted on the ranking of candidates in the election of judges in higher courts, but during the procedure for the election of judges a need to amend certain provisions emerged. It was recommended that we accelerate the process of assessing the work in terms of promoting judges to fill up certain positions faster, not to wait too long, to assess the current new system and make adjustments where necessary,” Dameva said.

According to Dameva, the time framework for the implementation of the activity outlined in the Action Plan is June 2024, but with financial assistance and the EU project the amendments to the rulebook have been adopted much sooner.

The amendments, Dameva said, will apply in the future with the publishing of new calls for the election of judges in higher courts, while ongoing procedures will be implemented in line with the previous rulebook. 

Photo: MIA Archive