Skopje, 14 November 2025 (MIA) - Criticism is well-intentioned only when it includes specific remarks and concrete proposals for solving problems. Criticism without arguments signals an unwillingness to take action to improve the situation and instead shifts the burden of overall societal apathy onto the judges, said an open letter jointly issued Friday by the Judicial Council, the Supreme Court, and the Association of Judges in response to Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski’s recent media statements.

In the letter, the three bodies say the Prime Minister’s statements regarding judges and the judiciary have crossed the line of proper conduct and have turned into unsubstantiated attacks. The open letter was issued after Thursday's statement by the Prime Minister on judicial reforms which he claimed are about “higher paychecks” for judges, something which he said he doesn’t approve of due to the judiciary’s low rating.

“The latest report by the European Commission clearly emphasizes that the greatest issue within the judiciary is the independence of judges, which is undermined by constant interference from the executive and legislative branches. Another crucial issue highlighted is the judiciary’s financial dependence on the state budget, with the wages of judges being only one aspect of financial independence. These are problems the state must resolve, as they are essential to the country’s European perspective,” the letter states.

The open letter notes that the judiciary is contributing to the state budget through the collection of fines and has not generated any debts.

“The judicial system has never generated debt, therefore it is unclear how the judiciary is related to the national debt of EUR 2 billion, which is unambiguously the result of continuous borrowing by the executive branch, both in the past and now. On the contrary, the courts have long contributed to the state budget through the collection of fees and fines, yet they have not received a return from the budget in terms of new hires, digitization of services, courtroom equipment, etc.,” the letter states.

In the letter, the Judicial Council, the Supreme Court, and the Association of Judges accuse the Prime Minister of undermining the democratic principle based on equality of the three branches of power.  

“The judicial branch is a constitutional category, and the Constitution and the independence of the judiciary must be respected,” the letter notes. 

MIA file photo