Skopje, 18 July 2026 (MIA) - Commenting on the latest European Commission report, Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski said the judiciary will not receive more money until it starts delivering, and his job as PM, he added, is to criticize until he sees progress in the delivery of justice.

"They will not receive more money. They will not receive money, even though the Law on Public Prosecutor's Office requires that an amount of 0.5 percent of the budget be included. They will not receive it because they have not deserved it. Because we expect that they will bring justice. What we have made possible with these amendments is the fact that everything they asked for in terms of employment, independence and so on, they got everything. Simply put, there is no more money. If someone thinks that they will put pressure on the Government in this way, the Government will not accept it. Because independence is not ensured with money, but with work," Mickoski told reporters during Saturday's visit to the Municipality of Debrca. 

​He noted that the report is an annual report published by the European Commission for all members, and for the past three years it also included some of the candidate countries. It covers 2023, 2024 and 2025. Four candidate countries have been evaluated, i.e. Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania and Serbia. He said the document praises effective policies that deliver, while also identifying shortcomings.

"It states that politicians are pressuring the judiciary. When we say the judiciary, we mean both the prosecution and the judiciary. That is one thing. Another thing is that it also states that there should be more money for prosecutors and judges. And third, it identifies shortcomings regarding the prosecutors and judges themselves, which contradicts the second remark. So, those two conclusions are contradictory. On the one hand, they say that the judicial system is not delivering, and on the other hand, the Government should give more money. Those two things do not go hand in hand. Either they will start delivering and get money, or they will not get money. That is my comment, in short," Mickoski said. 

He stressed that he will continue to publicly call on judges and prosecutors to deliver justice, noting that the citizens themselves say the level of delivery by the judicial system is not satisfactory.

"I will continue sending messages their way. With all the political responsibility and risk that I have, yes, I will continue doing so until we see progress in the delivery of justice," said Mickoski. 

Photo: Government