Skopje, 7 September 2021 (MIA) – Minister of Justice Bojan Marichikj addressed via video link on Tuesday a debate titled “Digital Judiciary – New Era of Reforms of Macedonian Judicial System” organized by the European Policy Institute. Marichikj pointed out that the Ministry is facing huge changes imposed by the digital era. “The need for digital transformation of society is a result of our lifestyle changes. Digitalization will slowly, but surely, take over every aspect of our society, without exception. The application of information and communication technologies within public services at state and local level has become a necessity and will contribute to elevating the quality of services given to the citizens, and improve the relationship between citizens and institutions, Marichikj said. During this difficult time in the middle of a pandemic, he addem, it became clear that a digital transformation is not only desirable, but necessary for an efficient, functional public sector. “Only an independent and unbiased judiciary can guarantee democracy and the rule of law. That’s why, the government and Ministry of Justice have shown strong political will in an effort to reform the judiciary, and a desire to restore people's trust in state institutions. We’re working on achieving our goals, and slowly but surely, we’re seeing results. Digitalization, which we’ve focused on recently, is expected to increase court transparency and openness, and enable an easier, simpler access to justice and services,” the Minister of Justice said. According to Marichikj, two experts from the USA are expected to arrive in North Macedonia at any moment in order to go around the courts and perform a full specification, because each court and courtroom has its own characteristics, and therefore different equipment needs. The primary courts in Shtip, Kavadarci and Strumica will be first to be equipped, as well as the criminal and civil court in Skopje, Marichikj said. The Minister noted that stakeholders are working together with OSCE to create a functional platform where data on the work courts do will be published, including the quality and quantity of their activities (case distribution, closed cases, duration of cases, delays, etc.). “The COVID-19 situation directed us to a new way to do our jobs, and there is a need for us to get a great deal of institutional services digitally. All processes, due to the interconnectedness of the institutions and the complexity of each judicial system, including our own, are long and take a great deal of cooperation before being presented before the citizens. That’s why we’re working in parallel on the interoperability plan for uninterrupted two-way communication between courts and other institutions,” Marichikj added. The Minister of Justice said that the IT Council has started implementing activities stipulated by the operative plan. Inter-institutionally, alongside the Ministry of Information Society and Administration, they’re finalizing negotiations on instating digital services for handing out certifications and confirmations from the infringement and criminal records. These services are expected to be available to people as early as the second half of September. dk/mm