Skopje, 9 November 2023 (MIA) – In order to overcome the shortcomings noted by the European Commission’s Report regarding the work of the Judicial Council, the Justice Ministry said Thursday it established a working group tasked with drafting amendments to the Law on Judicial Council.

According to a press release from the Ministry, the working group is chaired by academician Vlado Kambovski, member of the Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts, and includes representatives from the judiciary, academic community and the non-governmental sector

The Ministry said the group will also involve representatives of all relevant bodies from the judiciary in its work.

In the press release, the Ministry highlighted that the European Commission voiced serious concerns over the work of the Judicial Council in its 2023 Progress Report on North Macedonia.

“Namely, in the key assessments and recommendations in terms of the functioning of the judiciary, the European Commission calls on the Judicial Council to strive to protect the integrity and independence of judges. Furthermore, it notes the dismissal of the President of the Judicial Council through a controversial procedure which put into question the respect for laws and procedures. The attempts of the current President to limit the presence of camera crews at the Council’s sessions was also noted, which ceased thanks to the interventions of several CSOs and the Judicial Media Council. The report also notes the low trust of judges in the role of the Judicial Council in the efforts to safeguard judicial independence, assessed by the Corruption Risk Assessment of the judiciary, published in June 2023, which states that 72 percent of judges disagree with the position that the Judicial Council effectively safeguards judicial independence,” said the Ministry in the press release, adding that the identified shortcomings in the functioning of the Judicial Council were also a reason for the European Union to deploy a peer review mission of the Council’s work. 

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