COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT 2024 Rule of Law Report Country Chapter on the rule of law situation in North Macedonia Accompanying the document COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS 2024 Rule of Law Report The rule of law situation in the European Union
Date: 2024-07-24
Institutions: European Commission, Secretariat-General
Subjects: North Macedonia, administrative transparency, corruption, democracy, freedom of the press, independence of the judiciary, infringement of EU law, pluralism in the media, rule of law, whistleblowing

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 24.7.2024  SWD(2024) 830 final  COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT 2024 Rule of Law Report   Country Chapter on the rule of law situation in North Macedonia Accompanying the document COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS 2024 Rule of Law Report        The rule of law situation in the European Union {COM(2024) 800 final} - {SWD(2024) 801 final} - {SWD(2024) 802 final} - {SWD(2024) 803 final} - {SWD(2024) 804 final} - {SWD(2024) 805 final} - {SWD(2024) 806 final} - {SWD(2024) 807 final} - {SWD(2024) 808 final} - {SWD(2024) 809 final} - {SWD(2024) 810 final} - {SWD(2024) 811 final} - {SWD(2024) 812 final} - {SWD(2024) 813 final} - {SWD(2024) 814 final} - {SWD(2024) 815 final} - {SWD(2024) 816 final} - {SWD(2024) 817 final} - {SWD(2024) 818 final} - {SWD(2024) 819 final} - {SWD(2024) 820 final} - {SWD(2024) 821 final} - {SWD(2024) 822 final} - {SWD(2024) 823 final} - {SWD(2024) 824 final} - {SWD(2024) 825 final} - {SWD(2024) 826 final} - {SWD(2024) 827 final} - {SWD(2024) 828 final} - {SWD(2024) 829 final} - {SWD(2024) 831 final}  
 
 
ABSTRACT 

North Macedonia has undergone several waves of judicial reform and adopted a new justice 
strategy  aiming  to  improve  the  independence,  efficiency,  and  professionalism  of  the 
judiciary. However, the independence of the judiciary and the institutional capacity to protect 
it  against  undue  influence  remain  a  serious  concern.  The  level  of  perceived  judicial 
independence is very low. Concerns also remain regarding the functioning and independence 
of the Judicial Council,  while steps have been taken in  this respect.  Appointment decisions 
for  public  prosecutors  and  judges  have  been  criticised  by  civil  society  for  not  being 
comprehensively motivated or based on objective criteria. Measures to improve transparency 
have been undertaken, notably under the auspices of the President of the Supreme Court and 
the  Judicial  Council.  Codes  of  ethics  are  in  place  for  both  prosecutors  and  judges.  Limited 
financial resources allocated to the judiciary may affect its financial autonomy, and the deficit 
of human resources could impact the quality and efficiency of justice. Digital tools for case 
management  are  being  developed.  The  efficiency  of  the  judiciary  has  declined  for  first 
instance  civil,  commercial  and  criminal  cases,  while  it  remained  stable  for  second  instance 
cases. 

A  comprehensive  national  anti-corruption  strategy  is  in  place,  however  its  implementation 
lags behind. High risk of corruption remains prevalent in many areas. Recent amendments to 
the  Criminal  Code  weakened  the  legal  framework,  negatively  affecting  the  prosecution  of 
corruption,  especially  in  high-level  corruption  cases.  Resource  constraints  and  a  lack  of 
cooperation between national authorities hamper the effective prosecution of corruption and 
hinder  the  establishment  of  a  robust  track-record  of  high-level  corruption  cases.  The  State 
Commission for Prevention of Corruption has continued efforts to fulfil its mandate despite 
limited resources. While a legal framework and lobbying registers are in place, there are no 
registered lobbyists yet. There are several gaps as regards financing of political parties. North 
Macedonia is updating the law on the protection of whistleblowers.  

The  Agency  for  Audio  and  Audiovisual  Media  Services  fulfils  its  tasks,  while  its  financial 
and  institutional  independence  remain  to  be  further  strengthened.  The  Council  of  Media 
Ethics  continues  to  be  put  under  pressure.  Challenges  remain  concerning  transparency  of 
media  ownership  and  concerns  have  been  raised  regarding  certain  elements  of  the 
reintroduction of state-funded advertising. The Public Service Broadcaster faces challenges. 
The  Agency  for  Protection  of  Free  Access  to  Public  Information  ensures  access  to  public 
information  despite limited resources, while concerns regarding refusals  and delays remain. 
Legislative measures have enhanced the legal safeguards for the protection of journalists, yet 
threats and acts of violence against journalists have been noted.  

Political polarisation in the Parliament has caused delays in its work and led to an excessive 
and sometimes inappropriate use of accelerated legislative procedures. Shortcomings remain 
in  the  implementation  of  the  processes  for  inclusive  and  evidence-base  policymaking.  The 
Office of the Ombudsperson is under-resourced, and challenges for the systematic follow-up 
to its findings and recommendations remain. Civil society organisations operate in an overall 
enabling  environment,  but  challenges  remain  to  ensure  sustainable  engagement  in 
policymaking. 

1 

 
 
I. 

JUSTICE SYSTEM  

North Macedonia has as a three-tiered ordinary court system. It consists of 27 First-Instance 
Courts, four Appeal Courts and the Supreme Court. The latter is the highest instance in the 
judicial system with competences to ensure the uniform application of laws by all courts, to 
decide on legal remedies against decisions of the appeal courts, and for the protection of trial 
in reasonable time. One Administrative Court and one Higher Administrative Court exercise 
the  highest  instance  control  over  the  legality  of  measures  by  public  administration.  The 
Prosecution  is  organised  around  the  Public  Prosecutor  of  North  Macedonia,  four  Higher 
Public  Prosecutor’s  Offices  and  22  Basic  Public  Prosecutor’s  Offices  (PPOs).  The 
Constitutional  Court  is  not  part  of  the  judiciary  and,  among  others,  reviews  the 
constitutionality of laws. The Constitution of North Macedonia enshrines the independence of 
courts and the autonomy of the prosecution service1. The Judicial Council and the Council of 
judicial 
Public  Prosecutors  are 
independence  and  prosecutorial  autonomy  respectively,  and 
the 
recruitment,  career  management,  and  disciplinary  procedures  of  judges  and  prosecutors. 
Working  arrangements  with  the  European  Public  Prosecutor’s  Office  (EPPO)  are  in  place2. 
The  Bar  Association  is  an  independent  and  impartial  public  service  that  provides  legal 
assistance and exercises public powers.  

tasked  with  guaranteeing 

the  management  bodies 

take  decisions  on 

Independence  

The  level  of  perceived  judicial  independence  in  North  Macedonia  is  very  low  among 
both the general public and companies. Overall, 25% of the general population and 20% of 
companies perceive the level of independence of courts and judges to be ‘fairly or very good’ 
in  20243.  The  main  reason  cited  by  both  the  general  public  and  companies  for  the  lack  of 
independence  of  courts  and  judges  is  the  perception  of  interference  or  pressure  from  the 
Government and politicians.  

independence,  efficiency  and 
A  new  justice  strategy  aiming  to 
professionalism of the judiciary was adopted. North Macedonia has undertaken a series of 
judicial  reforms,  notably  addressing  the  “Urgent  Reform  Priorities”  of  20154,  the 
recommendations  of  the  Venice  Commission5,  and  those  of  the  Senior  Expert  Group  on 
Systemic Rule of Law Issues6. The reforms included amendments to the Law on Courts and 

improve  the 

1   Articles 98 and 106 of the Constitution of the Republic of North Macedonia. 
2    A contact point has been appointed since October 2022.  
3   Eurobarometer  survey  FL540,  conducted  among  the  general  public between  14  February  and  27  February 
2024,  and  Eurobarometer  survey  FL541,  conducted  among  companies  between  14  February  and  5  March 
2024.  The  level  of  perceived  judicial  independence  is  categorised  as  follows:  very  low  (below  30%  of 
respondents perceive judicial independence as fairly good and very good); low (between 30-39%), average 
(between 40-59%), high (between 60-75%), very high (above 75%).  

4   European Commission (2015), Urgent Reform Priorities for the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. 
5   Venice Commission opinion (CDL-AD(2018)022, CDL-AD(2018)033, CDL-AD(2019)008). 
6   The  group  of  independent  senior  rule  of  law  experts  was  asked  by  the  Commission  in  2015  to  assess 
systemic  rule  of  law  issues,  which  provided  the  basis  for  the  Urgent  Reform  Priorities.  In  2017  the  same 
group  assessed  the  progress  in  addressing  their  previous  findings  and  provided  new  recommendations. 
Assessment and recommendations of the Senior Expert Group on Systemic Rule of Law Issues 2017.  See: 
European  Commission  (2015),  The  former  Yugoslav  Republic  of  Macedonia:  Recommendations  of  the 
Senior Experts’ Group on systemic Rule of Law issues relating to the communications interception revealed 

2 

 
 
 
the Law on the Judicial Council7, which led to a certain degree of approximation to European 
standards in the field of justice8. In December 2023, the Government adopted a new justice 
sector  strategy  aiming  to  improve  the  independence,  efficiency,  and  professionalism  of  the 
judiciary9. The strategy continues the reform process although it was adopted with significant 
delays. In addition to measures still to be implemented under the previous strategy10, the new 
strategy  includes  additional  measures  aimed  to  advance  alignment  with  European  and 
international  standards  of 
include 
strengthening  the  independence  and  accountability  of  the  judiciary  and  its  resistance  to 
internal and external influences, increasing the quality of justice and the uniform application 
of the law, improving efficiency, for instance with a reorganisation of the judicial and public 
prosecutors’ network and the application of digital tools, and improving access to justice for 
those living in  poverty and marginalised groups.  It  notably includes measures to  strengthen 
transparency and public outreach to increase public trust. The strategy is accompanied by an 
Action  Plan  that  sets  out  the  envisaged  timeline  for  implementation.  In  March  2024,  the 
Government established a Council to monitor the implementation of the new strategy12. The 
Council met on 23 May 2024 under the chairmanship of the outgoing Minister of Justice.  

judicial  system11.  The  strategy’s  objectives 

the 

The  independence  of  the  judiciary  and  the  institutional  capacity  to  protect  it  against 
undue influence continue to raise serious concerns. More than a third of judges surveyed 
reported  to  have  faced  attempts  of  external  influence,  either  by  the  executive  branch  or 
representatives  of  political  parties13.  An  increase  in  attempts  of  internal  influence  was  also 
observed  compared  to  the  results  from  2009,  as  nearly  46%  of  judges  surveyed  in  2023 
reported  experiencing  some  form  of  pressure  or  attempted  influence  from  their  colleagues, 

in  Spring  2015  and  European  Commission  (2017),  The  former  Yugoslav  Republic  of  Macedonia: 
Assessments and recommendations of the Senior Experts’ Group in systemic Rule of Law issues 2017. 

7   Law  on  the  Judicial  Council of  the  Republic  of  North  Macedonia,  Official  Gazette  no. 102/2019.  Law  on 

Courts, Official Gazette no. 58/2006, 62/2006, 35/2008, 150/2010, 83/2018 and 198/2018. 

8   2023 Screening report North Macedonia, Cluster 1 Fundamentals, p. 37.  
9   Ministry of Justice (2023), The new Development Sector Strategy for the Judiciary 2024-2028. 
10   According  to  the  implementation  reports,  as  of  2022,  out  of  a  total  of  227  activities  determined  in  the 
Strategy, 118 activities have been fully implemented, 30 activities are ongoing, 34 are delayed, 40 activities 
are  being  implemented  continuously,  three  activities  directly  depend  on  the previous  adoption  of  the  legal 
amendments,  while  two  the  activities  could  not  be  carried  out.  For  reasons  of  the  incomplete 
implementation,  the  authorities  reported  to  delay  in  the  parliamentary  work,  for  example,  due  to  early 
parliamentary elections in 2020, delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemics, as well as political polarization 
and  the  absence  of  a  culture  of  consensus  building,  especially  for  legal  changes  that  require  a  qualified 
majority.  Ministry  of  Justice  (2023),  The  new  Development  Sector  Strategy  for  the  Judiciary  2024-2028. 
Part II.  

11   The  Strategy  identifies  five  specific  priority  areas:  Judiciary  and  public  prosecution  in  line  with  EU 
standards;  Institutions  of  the  justice  system;  Independent  professions  and  public  services;  Reform  of  the 
Constitutional  Court  of  the  Republic  of  North  Macedonia;  Reforms  in  Special  Legal Areas  (Criminal  and 
Civil). 

12   Written  contribution  from  North  Macedonia  in  the  context  of  the  country  visit,  p.  1;  see  also:  Ministry  of 
Justice, Press release 26.03.2024. The Council will be chaired by the Minister of Justice, and other members 
are: the Minister of Internal Affairs; The Minister of Information Society and Administration; The Minister 
of Finance; The Deputy President of the Government in charge of European affairs; Deputy of the President 
of the Government in charge of policies for good governance; public prosecutor; President of the Supreme 
Court;  President  of  the  Judicial  Council;  chairman  of  the  Council  of  Public  Prosecutors,  as  well  as 
distinguished professors, experts and representatives of civil society. At the technical level, a working group 
was established within the Ministry of Justice in March 2024 that should meet monthly to monitor progress 
in the implementation of Action Plan of the Strategy. 

13   OSCE Mission to Skopje, 2023 Corruption Risk Assessment of the Judiciary in North Macedonia, pp 14-16. 

3 

 
 
while  42%  reported  experiencing  similar  pressure  or  influence  from  judges  of  higher  rank, 
such as court presidents or judges of higher courts14. Several high-level representatives within 
the  judiciary  made  public  statements  criticising  the  environment  of  undue  influence, 
including  the  President  of  the  Supreme  Court15.  Regarding  prosecutors,  about  a  third  have 
reported  attempts of influence,  either from the  executive branch, or  from political  parties16. 
More  than  a  third  of  public  prosecutors  also  reported  having  experienced  internal  direct  or 
indirect  pressure,  suggestions,  or  attempts  of  undue  influence,  including  by  senior  public 
prosecutors  and  fellow  colleagues17.  Several  judges  (59%)  and  (49%)  prosecutors  do  not 
believe  that  the  current  mechanisms  in  place  to  safeguard  the  judicial  and  prosecutorial 
function  from  external  pressures  or  attempts  to  influence  are  effective18.  Stakeholders  have 
indicated that the introduction of new measures, for example, the creation of a dedicated unit 
at  the  prosecutor’s  office,  would  help  to  better  protect  the  reporting  of  undue  influence  by 
judges and prosecutors, and strengthen judicial integrity broadly19. 

Concerns  remain regarding the functioning and independence of the Judicial  Council, 
while steps have been taken in this respect. Developments within the Judicial Council have 
negatively affected the public’s trust in the judiciary. The Judicial Council President had been 
demoted from her role and was later reinstated following a ruling by the Administrative Court 
in December 2023 that her demotion was unlawful. Two Judicial Council members, as well 
as a previous Council President, had resigned in June 2023 in disagreement to the demotion 
of  the  President  and  invoking  reasons  of  undue  influence  within  the  judiciary20.  These 
developments  raised  serious  concerns  about  the  Council’s  legitimacy  and  functionality21. 
Moreover, its lack of transparency was criticised by stakeholders, as public access to several 
key Council sessions was restricted22. The majority of judges do not consider that the Judicial 

14   Ibidem. When compared to the results of the OSCE 2009 legal analysis on the Independence of  Judiciary, 
there  has  been  an  increase  in  the  perceived  pressure  or  attempts  to  influence  from  fellow  judges  (+12%), 
higher-ranking judges (+12%), and members of the Judicial Council (+9%). The primary internal corruption 
risk that judges identified pertains to the influence wielded by court presidents through the Annual Schedule 
for  Judges’  work,  specially  noting  that  ad  hoc  changes  made  to  the  annual  schedule  may  result  in  certain 
judges being assigned to cases of high public interest. 

15   Supreme Court of North Macedonia, Press release, 06.11.2023. VOA News 17.01.2024. 
16   OSCE Mission to Skopje  (2023), Corruption Risk Assessment of the Judiciary in North Macedonia, p. 31. 
36%  of  public  prosecutors  reported  that  they  experienced  attempts  of  influence  from  members  of  the 
executive branch of power, and 29% from representatives of political parties. 

17   Ibidem.  41%  of  prosecutors  reported  having  experienced  attempts  from  attorneys,  while  36%  and  35% 

experienced similar pressure from senior public prosecutors and fellow colleagues, respectively. 

18   Ibidem, p. 17, p. 32. 
19   Information  received  in  the  context  of  the  country  visit  to  North  Macedonia  from  stakeholders  from  the 
justice system. The proposal is included in the work program of the Work program of the Public Prosecution 
Office 2024-2030 (2024). 

20   In  November  2022,  the  former  Council  president  resigned,  alleging  undue  influence  from  within  the 
judiciary and business communities. The subsequently elected president was dismissed from this role after 
only  a  few  months  in  office  in April  2023,  in  a  controversial  voting  process  not  in  line  with  the  rules  of 
procedure. In protest to this vote, in June 2023, two Judicial Council members resigned. See also: Coalition 
of  citizens'  associations  ‘All  for  a  fair  trial’  –  Skopje  (2024),  Report  from  the  Monitoring  of  the  Judicial 
Council and the Council of Public Prosecutors in the year 2023. 

21   2023  Communication  on  EU  Enlargement  policy,  North  Macedonia  Report,  pp  18-19.  See  also:  Citizen 
Association  Institute  for  Human  Rights,  Skopje  2023,  Monitoring  Report  on  the  Work  of  the  Judicial 
Council January – July 2023; Coalition of citizens' associations ‘All for a fair trial’ – Skopje (2024), Report 
from the Monitoring of the Judicial Council and the Council of Public Prosecutors in the year 2023.  

22   Citizen Association Institute for Human Rights, Skopje 2023, Monitoring Report on the Work of the Judicial 
Council  January  –  July  2023,  pp.  5-6.  The  Judicial  Council  held  sessions  that  were  not  previously 

4 

 
 
 
Council  can  effectively  safeguard  their  independence23.    Additionally,  several  decisions  on 
appointments  and  disciplinary  proceedings,  including  the  decision  to  suspend  all  such 
procedures  in  the  Judicial  Council  during  the  parliamentary  and  presidential  elections 
period24, sparked criticism among stakeholders about the independence of the Council25. The 
proportionality  of  disciplinary  measures  was  put  into  question  by  CSOs  monitoring  the 
Judicial  Council26.  For  example,  the  relatively  lenient  sanctions  imposed  for  intentionally 
having  delayed  a  high-level  corruption  case,  ignited  public  criticism27.  The  appeal  process 
against decisions by the Judicial Council has also been subject to  criticism due to a lack of 
clarity  on  competences28.  To  improve  the  Council’s  functioning  and  strengthen  its 
independence, a TAIEX peer review mission29, conducted in September 2023, made several 
recommendations. Among others, these focused on clarifying the status, terms of office and 
qualification  requirements  of  Judicial  Council  members,  on  increasing  the  Council’s 
transparency,  and  on  clarifying  provisions  concerning  the  appointment  and  disciplinary 
procedures  of  judges  and  Judicial  Council  members.  Initial  steps  are  being  taken  to 
legislative 
implement 
recommendations concerning the Law on the Judicial Council has published its proposal for 

recommendations.  A  working  group 

to  address 

these 

the 

announced, so the public, due to lack of information, did not have the opportunity to attend them. Several 
actions were taken at these sessions, which, according to the law, should have been public. Moreover, the 
electronic  sounds  recovering  and  voting  system  was  not  in  operation  for  a  period  of  time  following  the 
unlawful dismissal of the former president.  

23   OSCE Mission to Skopje (2023), Corruption Risk Assessment of the Judiciary in North Macedonia. 72% of 
the  judges  interviewed  either  fully  disagree  (27%)  or  partially  disagree  (45%)  that  the  Judicial  Council 
effectively safeguards judicial independence, with only 26% agreeing. 

24   The  Judicial  Council  took  this  decision  based  on  a  public  notice  issued  by  the  State  Commission  for  the 
Prevention of Corruption, who refers to a provision in the electoral code that refers to halting appointment 
decisions for public officials. The law does not specify that this would include judicial appointments.  The 
Judicial Council was not obliged to follow this request, and the suspension of these activities raises questions 
about its independence. The Council of Public Prosecutors continues its work as normal during the elections 
period.  Delaying  these  procedures  until  after  the  parliamentary  elections  were  held,  not  only  bolster 
questions about the Council’s independence, but may also negatively impact delays within the courts. 

25   Controversial decisions included, for example, the initiation of disciplinary proceedings against the president 
of the Supreme Court, and a failure to appoint a judge which will likely lead to the expiry of the statute of 
limitation in a high-level corruption case. See also: Citizen Association Institute for Human Rights, Skopje 
2023, Monitoring report on the work of the Judicial Council January-July 2023; VOA News 17.01.2024. See 
also, information received in the context of the country visit to North Macedonia from stakeholders from the 
justice system. 

26   OSCE Mission to Skopje (2023), Corruption Risk Assessment of the Judiciary in North Macedonia, p. 19. A 
majority  of  interviewed  judges  (57%)  do  not  believe  that  disciplinary  procedures  initiated  by  the  Judicial 
Council are conducted objectively. See also:  Citizen Association Institute for Human Rights, Skopje 2023, 
Monitoring report on the work of the judicial council August – December 2023. 

27   Ibidem. The report referred to high sanctions for minor mistakes, and a very low sanction for purposefully 

delaying a high-level, high profile corruption cases, leading to expiry of statutes of limitations.  

28   While the law on the Judicial Council provides that the final decisions on disciplinary proceedings lie with 
the  Council,  the  Supreme  Court  has  argued  that  the  right  to  judicial  review  is  not  sufficiently  ensured, 
notably  for  instances  where  the  Judicial  Council  would  not  effectively  implement  the  appeals’  court 
decision. To remedy this situation, the Supreme Court issued a principled stance for direct application of the 
Constitution  and  the  European  Convention  on  Human  Rights  (ECHR),  in particular  concerning  provisions 
guaranteeing  the  right  to  an  appeal,  which  would  allow  court  decisions  on  a  second  appeal.  The  Judicial 
Council on the other hand criticises that the Supreme Court oversteps its competencies limited to the legal 
review  of  the  proceedings  and  takes  substantive  decisions in  disciplinary  proceedings  against  judges. This 
was a finding by the peer review mission. 

29   In September 2023, a team of European experts conducted a peer review mission focused on strengthening 

the functioning and independence of the Judicial Council through the EU’s TAIEX programme. 

5 

 
 
amendments to the law on the Judicial Council in May 202430. The Judicial Council adopted 
an  Action  Plan  to  address  the  recommendations  of  the  peer  review  mission,  notably  to 
increase  its  transparency,  and  advanced  on  its  implementation,  including  by  amending  its 
rules  of  procedures31.  In  May  2024  the  Judicial  Council  took  swift  action  in  an  alleged 
bribery  case32,  and  in  June  2024,  the  Judicial  Council  reached  again  its  full  composition33. 
Further implementation of the peer review mission’s recommendations would strengthen the 
integrity  of  the  Council  and  improve  its  functioning.  Announcements  by  the  incoming 
government of its intention to ‘dissolve’ the Judicial and Prosecution Councils34 raise serious 
concerns, as it would undermine the independence of the judiciary.  

Appointment decisions for public prosecutors by the Council for Public Prosecutors and 
judges  by  the  Judicial  Council  have  been  criticised  by  civil  society  for  not  being 
comprehensively  motivated  or  based  on  objective  criteria.  The  Council  for  Public 
Prosecutors  elects  public  prosecutors  based  on  ranking  lists  that  are  not  publicly  available, 
and  no  reasoned  decisions  for  the  final  selection  of  the  prosecutors  are  provided35.  For  the 
appointments and promotions of judges, while the candidates’ ranking lists and their criteria 
are  publicly  available,  stakeholders  have  criticised  that  the  Judicial  Council  has  taken 
decisions to select lower-ranked candidates over higher-ranked candidates, without providing 
a comprehensive reasoning36, raising concerns among stakeholders about these appointments 
and  promotions  not  being  merit-based37.  The  Judicial  Council  has  included  measures  in  its 

30   This  working  group  was  formed  in  November  2023,  consisting  of  members  from  the  judiciary,  academia, 
and  civil  society  organisations.  Written  contribution  from  North  Macedonia  in  the  context  of  the  country 
visit, p. 2. The group held 23 meetings adopted a proposal with draft amendments until June 2024. See press 
release from the Ministry of Justice from 11.06.2024.  

31   The Action Plan was adopted in February 2024 includes 16 measures and detailed timelines. Amendments to 
the rules of procedure were adopted in May 2024, in advance of the deadline stipulated in the Action Plan 
for  implementation  of  the  peer  review  recommendations  by  the  Council.  The  amendments  to  the  rules  of 
procedures  notably  established  legal  foundations  aimed  at  improving  the  average  time  required  to  resolve 
complaints against judicial officials. 

32   In  May  2024,  a  Supreme  Court  Judge  was  arrested  on  suspicion  of  accepting  a  reward  for  unlawful 
influence. In response to the arrest, the Judicial Council held an urgent session at midnight, where it decided 
to lift the immunity of the concerned judge. A member of the Council of Public Prosecutor was also under 
suspicion to be involved. Investigations are still ongoing. 

33   A vacancy was published to replace a Judicial Council member whose mandate expires in autumn. 
34   Proposed program for the work of the government (2024-2028) 
35   Information  received  in  the  context  of  the  country  visit  to  North  Macedonia  from  stakeholders  from  the 
justice  system  and  civil  society.  See  also:  Coalition  of  citizens'  associations  ‘All  for  a  fair  trial’  –  Skopje, 
(2024), Report from the Monitoring of the Judicial Council and the Council of Public Prosecutors in the year 
2023.  The  selection  of  public  prosecutors  falls  solely  within  the  purview  of  the  Council  for  Public 
Prosecutors.  As  outlined  in  the  Law  on  Public  Prosecution,  the  Council  is  tasked  with  overseeing  the 
performance  of  public  prosecutors. Additionally,  it  decides  in  second-instance  disciplinary  actions  against 
public  prosecutors  and  is  responsible  for  determining  the cessation  or  termination of  a public  prosecutor's 
tenure. A working group was established to draft a new law on the Public Prosecution Office and on the law 
on the Council for Public Prosecutors.  

36   ENCJ  (2012),  Dublin  Declaration  on  Standards  for  the  Recruitment  and  appointment  of  members  of  the 
Judiciary, I. 10. Information received during the country visit by stakeholders from the justice system and 
civil society. See also: Citizen Association Institute for Human Rights, Skopje 2023, Monitoring report on 
the work of the judicial council January-July 2023. 

37   Information  received  in  the  context  of  the  country  visit  to  North  Macedonia  from  stakeholders  from  the 
justice  system  and  civil  society.  According  to  the  OSCE  Mission  to  Skopje  (2023),  Corruption  Risk 
Assessment of the Judiciary in North Macedonia, 73% of interviewed judges disagree with the notion that 
the  promotion  of  judges  is  carried  out  in  a  manner  that  adheres  to  objective,  measurable,  and  equitable 
criteria.  Similarly,  a  significant  proportion  of  judges  (65%)  express  scepticism  regarding  the  transparency 

6 

 
 
 
Action Plan to provide comprehensive reasoned decisions for appointments38. In May 2024, 
the  Judicial  Council  amended  its  rules  of  procedures  and  the  Rulebook  on  ranking  of 
candidates for promotions in higher courts, implementing a part of the recommendation of the 
2023 peer review mission. 

Measures  to  improve  transparency  have  been  undertaken,  notably  under  the  auspices 
of the President of the Supreme Court and the Judicial  Council.  The Council for Open 
Judiciary was established in March 2022 and gathers under the auspices of the President of 
the Supreme Court39. In February 2024, an Action Plan for Open Judiciary (2024-2026) was 
adopted40.  The  Action  Plan  envisages  to  improve  public  relations  between  courts  and  the 
public, to unify the structure of court reports, to increase the quality and  availability of data 
and  information,  and  to  strengthen  the  supervisory  function  of  the  Judicial  Council  on  the 
transparency of courts. Most courts are following guidance by the Supreme Court to publish 
their  rulings,  whether  they  are  final  or  not,  on  their  respective  websites41.  In  line  with  its 
Action Plan  for the implementation  of the 2023  peer review recommendations, the Judicial 
Council undertook further measures to improve its transparency, including by holding public 
sessions,  and  publishing  its  records  and  adopted  decisions42.  Notably,  in  June  2024  the 
Judicial  Council  has  adopted  its  Communication  Strategy  (2024-2028)43.  The  Council  of 
Public Prosecutors also improved its transparency with more systematic media engagement, 

and objectivity of the election process (pp. 20-21). For public prosecutor, more than half (54%) do not agree 
that  appointments  are  conducted  in  an  objective  and  transparent  manner  (p.  34).  See  also:  Coalition  of 
citizens’  associations  ‘All  for  a  fair  trial’  –  Skopje  (2024),  Report  from  the  Monitoring  of  the  Judicial 
Council  and  the  Council  of  Public  Prosecutors  in  the  year  2023.  Citizen Association  Institute  for  Human 
Rights,  Skopje  (2023),  Monitoring  report  on  the  work  of  the  judicial  council  January-July  2023.  Balkan 
Insight, (2023), ‘Party Games? In North Macedonia, judges’ promotions depend on ‘connections’’, Freedom 
House (2024), Nations in Transit 2024, Country Report North Macedonia.  

38   Judicial  Council  (2024),  Action  Plan  for  the  implementing  the  EU  recommendations  addressed  to  the 
Judicial  Council.  The  Judicial  Council’s  Action  Plan  includes  measure  concerning  the  elections  and 
appointments  of  judges,  notably,  by  December  2024,  appointment  and  promotion  decisions  should  be 
explained  in  an  individual,  consistent  and  comparative  manner  based  on  objective  standards,  particularly 
also providing explanation for the non-election of higher-ranked candidates. 

39   The Council for Open Judiciary was established as part of the Open Government Partnership programme and 
should  encourage  the  openness  of  the  work  of  the  courts  and  judicial  institutions  and  the  participation  of 
civil  society  in  the  implementation  and  monitoring  of  the  Open  Judiciary  initiative.  It  is  composed  of 
representatives from all judicial instances across the country: the Judicial Council, the Academy of Judges 
and Public Prosecutors, five CSOs and members of relevant professional associations. Seven work-sessions 
were held between March 2022 and January 2024. 

40   Input from North Macedonia for the 2024 Justice, Freedom and Security Subcommittee and the Rule of Law 

Report, p. 7.  

41   Information  received  from  stakeholders  from  the  justice  system  and  civil  society  in  the  context  of  the 
country  visit  to  North  Macedonia. The  Supreme  Court,  following  a  proposal  by  its  President,  has  taken  a 
principled stance in December 2022 that all courts should publish their rulings, whether they are final or not, 
on their respective websites. 2023 Communication on EU Enlargement policy, North Macedonia Report, p. 
20.  

42   CSOs  noted  that  the  Judicial  Council  has  also  undertaken  some  steps  to  increase  the  transparency  of  its 
work,  by  publishing  on  its  website  information  on  scheduled  sessions,  meeting  minutes,  issued  decisions, 
compiled  reports,  and  other  pertinent  documents.  Citizen Association  Institute  for  Human  Rights,  Skopje, 
2023, Monitoring report on the work of the judicial council, August – December 2023.  

43   Judicial Council (2024).  Communication strategy of the Judicial Council and the courts of the Republic of 

North Macedonia (2024-2028). 

7 

 
 
regular press statements, and making sessions available on social media platforms, however it 
stills needs to provide reasoning for its decisions44.  

Codes of ethics are in place for both prosecutors and judges. A revised Code of Ethics for 
Public  Prosecutors  was  introduced.  The  Association  of  Public  Prosecutors  amended  in 
November  2023 
the  Code  of  Ethics  for  Public  Prosecutors,  addressing  GRECO 
recommendations45. The Judicial Council has in place a Code of Ethics for its members since 
2022  and  the  Advisory  Body  for  Judicial  Ethics46  at  the  Association  of  Judges  provides 
advisory opinion on issues of ethics in exercising judicial duties, or on avoiding conflict of 
interest. It has thus far provided four opinions, last issued in 2022.  

Quality 

Limited financial resources allocated to the judiciary may affect its financial autonomy. 
The  2024  state  budget  adopted  by  the  Parliament  allocates  funding  amounting  to  0.29%  of 
GDP  to  the  judicial  system47.  This  continues  to  fall  considerably  short  of  the  legally 
prescribed  0.8%  of  GDP48.  Furthermore,  the  obligation  to  seek  formal  approval  from  the 
Ministry  of  Finance  for  internal  budget  allocation  by  the  courts,  including  on  resource  and 
staffing decisions,  was  criticised by judicial stakeholders as inefficient  and contradicted the 
need  for  decisions  on  resource  allocation  in  the  judicial  system  to  be  autonomous49. 
Additionally,  adequate  salaries  in  the  judiciary  remain  a  challenge50  in  particular  since 
amendments  of  February  2024  to  the  laws  on  salaries  of  judges  and  prosecutors  which 
reduced previous increase of their remuneration51. The Supreme Court, the Judicial Council, 
the Association of Judges and the Council of Public Prosecutors have made public statements 
criticising  the  amendments  and  have  challenged  the  law  before  the  Constitutional  Court52, 
which dismissed the action in May 2024.  

The  deficit  in  human  resources  could  impact  the  quality  and  efficiency  of  justice. 
According to European standards, a sufficient number of judges and  appropriately qualified 

44   Information  received  in  the  context  of  the  country  visit  to  North  Macedonia  from  stakeholders  from  the 
justice  system  and  civil  society.  See  also  Coalition  of  citizens'  associations  ‘All  for  a  fair  trial’  –  Skopje 
(2024), Report from the Monitoring of the Judicial Council and the Council of Public Prosecutors in the year 
2023. 

45   GRECO  (2024),  Fourth  Evaluation  Round  –  Corruption  prevention  in  respect  of  members  of  parliament, 
judges and prosecutors, Second Addendum to the Second Compliance Report, recommendation xiv, xv. 
46   The Advisory Body for Judicial Ethics, composed of a President and six members, can provide opinions on 
ethics and performance of judicial office upon request of a judge or association of judges. The members of 
the Advisory Body for Judicial Ethics are elected by the Managing Board of the Association of Judges from 
among judges and lay-judges and upon a proposal of the local offices of the Association of Judges.  

47   Written contribution from North Macedonia in the context of the country visit, p. 6. 
48   2010 Law on the Court Budget; Law on judicial budget, OG No. 60/2003, 37/2006, 103/2008 and 145/2010. 
49   Written contribution from North Macedonia in the context of the country visit to North Macedonia, p 6, and 
from the “EU Support for Rule of Law” Project, p. 1. Information received in the context of the country visit 
to North Macedonia from stakeholders from the justice system. 

50   Written contribution  from  the “EU Support for Rule of Law”  Project in the context of the country visit to 

North Macedonia, pp. 1-2. 

51   2023 Communication on EU Enlargement policy, North Macedonia Report, p.21The amendments decreased 

the coefficients for calculation of salaries.  

52   Press  release  from  the  Association  of  Judges  07.03.2024  and  press  release  from  the  Judicial  Council 

06.03.2024. 

8 

 
 
support staff should be allocated to  courts53. However, the current  appointment rate of new 
judges  and  prosecutors  is  insufficient  to  cover  current  needs  and  fill  vacancies  created  by 
judges who have retired, resigned or been dismissed54. Strategies for human resources in the 
Courts  and  in  Public  Prosecutor’s  Office  were  adopted  in  202055,  but  their  implementation 
remains  delayed,  and  the  specified  target  and  timelines  in  the  action  plans  have  not  been 
met56.  The  court  administration  works  with  only  40%  of  the  assessed  human  resources 
needed57. Two-thirds of all courts in the country were assessed as “inefficient” by the Judicial 
Council in 202358. In December 2023, the Council of Public Prosecutors estimated that with 
the current 179 public prosecutors, there is an estimated shortfall of 82 public prosecutors in 
the  country59.  To  address  the  shortages  of  judges and  prosecutors,  the  Academy  for  Judges 
and  Prosecutors  is  undertaking  a  selection  procedure  for  the  largest  intake  ever  of  130 
students for 202460.  

The new law on the Academy for Judges and Prosecutors has been in place since June 
2023. The  revised law  confirms  the Academy  as the sole entry point to  employment in  the 
judiciary and prosecution service and followed the European Commission’s recommendation 
not  to  shorten  initial  training61.  Due  to  problems  with  providing  the  testing  software,  the 
entrance  examination  process  for  the  2024  intake  of  a  new  group  encountered  delays62.  To 
overcome this problem, the law was amended again in February 2024 allowing qualification 

53   See  Council  of  Europe  (2010),  Recommendation  CM/Rec(2010)12  of  the  Committee  of  Ministers  to 
member States on judges: independence, efficiency and responsibilities, para. 35. Moreover, since a proper 
functioning  of  the  judiciary  is  strongly  dependent  on  the  quality  of  judges,  prosecutors  and  staff,  human 
resources  and  the  status  of  the  judiciary  form  an  important  area  of  the  quality  model.  See  CEPEJ  (2008), 
Checklist for promoting the quality of justice and the courts, p. 4.  

54   On 1 July 2022, the Judicial Council adopted a Conclusion for the termination of the  judicial office  of 42 
judges due to a new condition for age retirement, 64 years, as a new compulsory age for retirement in North 
Macedonia, according to the new amendments in article 104 of the Labor Relation law. This has so far led to 
the termination of the judicial office of 42 judges, thus exacerbating the judge shortage. 

55   Judicial  Council  (2020),  Human  Resources  Management  Strategy  for  the  Judicial  Network,  2020.  Public 
Prosecutor’s  Office  (2020),  Human  Resources  Management  Strategy  for  the  Public  Prosecution  Network, 
2020. 

56   See also: 2023 Screening report North Macedonia, Cluster 1  – Fundamentals, p. 39; 2023 Communication 

on EU Enlargement policy, North Macedonia Report, p. 21. 

57   Written contribution  from  the “EU Support for Rule of Law”  Project in the context of the country visit to 

North Macedonia, p 2-3. 

58   Ibidem. 
59   Written  contribution  from  North  Macedonia  in  the  context  of  the  country  visit  to  North  Macedonia,  p.  9: 
According to a decision by the Council of Public Prosecutors the total number of prosecutors is envisaged at 
261. 

60   In 2024, 130 candidates will be selected to proceed with the training program by mid-July. Input from North 
Macedonia for the 2024 Justice, Freedom and Security Subcommittee and the Rule of Law Report, p. 2  
61   Official Gazette No.129/23; Several by-laws are under preparation for the implementation of the new Law 
on the Academy: new  Statute of the Academy of Judges  and Public Prosecutors (published in the Official 
Gazette No 172/23; new Rulebook for taking the entrance exam (at the meeting of the Management Board 
on September 18, 2023); new Rulebook for continuous training (at the meeting of the Management Board on 
27.11.2023);  new  Regulations  for  theoretical  teaching  (at  the  session  of  the  Management  Board  on 
27.11.2023);  new  Regulations  for  fees  (at  the  session  of  the  Management  Board  on  21.12.2023);  new 
Rulebook for practical teaching; new Rulebook for exercising the function of judge/public prosecutor; new 
Regulations for the final exam; Code of Ethics. 

62   The authorities indicated that the entrance exam was blocked due to problems related to public procurement 
for the maintenance of the software for taking exams for state institutions. Input from North Macedonia for 
the 2024 Rule of Law Report, p. 2. 

9 

 
 
tests in paper form and changing the scoring system63. The delays and the amendments have 
been  criticised  by  stakeholders,  and  the  revised  scoring  system  was  challenged  before  the 
Constitutional  Court,  among  others,  by  the  Academy  itself.  The  Constitutional  Court 
dismissed the action. Moreover, the Academy has continued to face challenges with regard to 
insufficient staffing, technical equipment, and inadequate premises64.  

Digital  tools  for  case  management,  court  statistics  and  online  accessibility  of  court 
decisions are being developed but shortcomings remain. The process of digitisation of the 
judiciary is carried out through the Council for Digitalisation in the Judiciary established by 
the Ministry of Justice65. A functional automated court case management information system 
(ACCMIS)  provides  for  random  distribution  of  cases  to  courts  66.  However,  the  ACCMIS 
needs  improvements  to  take  into  account  the  level  of  complexity  of  court  cases  and  the 
method for assessing judges and presidents of courts67. The case management system for the 
prosecution  service  is  currently  being  revised68.  Despite  the  existing  mechanism  for  the 
random  allocation  of  cases  there  is  room  for  discretion  by  the  heads  of  public  prosecution 
offices  to  allocate  cases  manually69.  Furthermore,  there  is  a  significant  and  persisting 
shortage  of  qualified  IT  staff,  and  recruitment  is  challenging  as  working  conditions  are  not 
considered satisfactory70.  

Efficiency 

The  efficiency  of  the  judiciary  has  declined  for  first  instance  civil,  commercial  and 
criminal  cases,  while  it  has  been  overall  stable  for  second  instance  cases.  In  2022,  the 
clearance  rate  was  below  100%  for  all  case  categories  in  the  first  and  second  instances, 
except  for  administrative  cases.  In  comparison  to  2021,  the  clearance  rate  for  first-instance 
civil  and  commercial  litigations  declined  from  99%  to  85%  in  2022,  and  the  number  of 
backlogs  increased  by  24.8%71.  Conversely,  the  disposition  time  increased  by  23.1%  from 
253  days  in  2021  312  days  in  2022.  For  second-instance  civil  and  commercial  cases,  the 
clearance rate increased from 89% to 97%, while the disposition time, however, increased as 
well by 16.7% from 142 days in 2021 to 166 days in 2022. For first-instance criminal cases 
the trend is negative, with the disposition time increasing by 20,5% from 132 days in 2021 to 

63   Official Gazette 53 of 4 March 2024. 
64   Information received from stakeholders from the justice system in the context of the country visit to North 

Macedonia. See also: 2023 Screening report North Macedonia, Cluster 1 – Fundamentals, p. 43.  

65  The Minister of Justice adopted  in December 2023  the new Rulebook on the composition and the working 
method of the Council for coordinating information and communication technology in judicial authorities. 
The constituent session of this body was held on 6 February 2024 

66   The ACCMIS  system  is  overseen  by  the  Ministry  of  Justice.  In  2023,  19  supervisions  were  planned  but 
carried  out  in  only  8  courts.  In  2024,  out  of  a  total  of  18  courts,  the  Commission  for  Supervision  has 
supervised six courts until mid-2024. 

67   2023 Communication on EU Enlargement policy, North Macedonia Report, p. 18. 
68   The Public Prosecutor’s Office is supported by the “EU – Support for the Rule of Law” Project to develop a 

new case management system, notably to account for complexities of specific cases.  

69   OSCE Mission to Skopje (2023), Corruption Risk Assessment Report, p. 30. Some public prosecutors were 
critical  of  the  existing  procedure  for  case  allocation,  which  despite  being  randomized,  still  allows  for 
discretion by the Chiefs of public prosecution offices. They argue that sometimes, due to varying capabilities 
of public prosecutors, certain cases need to be assigned to those who are more capable. 

70   Information  received  in  the  context  of  the  country  visit  to  North  Macedonia  from  stakeholders  from  the 

justice system. See also: Judicial Council (2024), Annual Report on the work of the Judicial Council.  

71   CEPEJ (2023), Dashboard Western Balkans  – 2022 Data  Collection. The incoming first instance civil and 

commercial litigious cases increased by 17,3% while the resolved cases only increased by 1,4%. 

10 

 
 
159 days in 2022, and the number of pending cases increasing by 17.5%. The clearance rate 
decreased  from  103%  in  2021  to  94%  in  2022.  In  second  instance  criminal  cases,  the 
efficiency indicators remained stable compared to 202172. It is also noted that a standardised 
methodology  for  collecting  accurate  and  reliable  statistical  data  in  alignment  with  the 
European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) of the Council of Europe has not 
been developed.  

II. 

ANTI-CORRUPTION FRAMEWORK  

The  State  Commission  for  Prevention  of  Corruption  (SCPC)  is  the  coordinating  body  for 
monitoring  the  implementation  of  the  measures  of  the  National  Strategy  for  Prevention  of 
Corruption,  the  verification  of  assets,  conflicts  of  interest  and  incompatibilities.  The  SCPC 
prepares annual reports and submits them to the Parliament. Key institutions involved in the 
repression of corruption are the Specialised Unit for Organised Crime and Corruption in the 
Criminal Court Skopje, the Public Prosecutor’s Office for Prosecuting Organised Crime and 
Corruption  (OCCPPO),  the  Specialised  Police  Unit  under  the  Ministry  of  Interior,  the 
Financial  Police  Office,  the  Customs  Administration,  and  the  Financial  Intelligence  Office. 
The OCCPPO is the main law enforcement authority for conducting investigations, while the 
Specialised  Unit  for  Organised  Crime  and  Corruption  in  the  Criminal  Court  Skopje  has 
competence  for  adjudicating  corruption  cases.  There  are  seven  general  Public  Prosecutor’s 
Offices  handling  offenses  punishable  by  imprisonment  of  up  to  five  years  and  15  with 
extended  competencies  handling  offenses  punishable  by  imprisonment  of  more  than  five 
years.  One  specialised  basic  Public  Prosecutor’s  Office  prosecutes  organised  crime  and 
corruption73.  

The  perception  among  experts  and  businesses  is  that  the  level  of  corruption  in  the 
public  sector  is  high.  In  the  2023  Corruption  Perceptions  Index  by  Transparency 
International, North Macedonia, scored 42/100, and ranks 76th globally74. This perception has 
improved over the past five years75. 

A  comprehensive  national  anti-corruption  strategy 
its 
implementation  lags  behind.  The  National  Strategy  for  Prevention  of  Corruption  for  the 
period 2021-202576 is based on an analysis of corruption risks and a consultation process with 
representatives  of  the  public  and  private  sectors,  media,  civil  society  associations  and 
foundations, experts, and representatives of relevant international organisations. The Strategy 

in  place,  however 

is 

72   For second instance criminal cases the clearance rate declined from 2021 by 1,1 percent points to 99 % in 

2022, and the disposition time 129 days (decrease of 4,3% from 2021). 

73   A Special Public Prosecutor’s Office (SPO) existed to tackle high level-crime by public officials. Its mandate 
ended in 2019 and the OCCPPO took over cases to further prosecute crimes related to and deriving from the 
content  of  illegally  intercepted  communications.  European  Commission.  2023  Screening  Report  North 
Macedonia, Cluster 1 - Fundamentals 

74   Transparency  International,  Corruption  Perceptions  Index  2023  (2024),  pp.  2-3.  The  level  of  perceived 
corruption is categorised as follows: low (the  perception among experts and business executives of  public 
sector corruption scores above 79); relatively low (scores between 79-60), relatively high (scores between 
59-50), high (scores below 50). 

75   In 2019 the score was 35, while, in 2023, the score is 42. The score significantly increases/decreases when it 
changes  more  than  five  points;  improves/deteriorates  (changes  between  4-5  points);  is  relatively  stable 
(changes from 1-3 points) in the last five years. 

76   State Commission for Prevention of Corruption  (2020), National Strategy for the Prevention of Corruption 

and Conflict of Interest 2021-2025. 

11 

 
 
was  enacted  by  the  Parliament  in  April  2021.  The  SCPC  reported  in  its  annual  report  of 
202477 that out of 166 activities planned for 2023, only 22 activities (13%) have been fully 
implemented, 55 activities (33%) are in the process of implementation, while 89 (54%) of the 
activities have not  yet  been implemented. This  represents  a very limited increase compared 
with the previous year when 10% of the activities planned for 2022 were implemented in full, 
35%  were  ongoing  and  55%  were  not  implemented.  The  slow  implementation  rate  of  the 
Strategy  indicates  an  overall  lack  of  political  commitment  and  ownership  of  the  state 
institutions concerned78. The report on the implementation of the strategy in 2023 has been 
submitted to the Parliament79.  

Recent  amendments  to  the  Criminal  Code  weakened  the  legal  framework,  negatively 
affecting the prosecution of corruption, especially in high-level corruption cases. North 
Macedonia has ratified the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC)80 but it 
is not a signatory party to the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention. The Criminal Code has been 
amended frequently, with the risk of reducing legal certainty81. A Working Group under the 
auspices of the Ministry of Justice has been working since December 2020 on a new Criminal 
Code, through an inclusive process with relevant stakeholders, including CSOs82. However, a 
new  set  of  amendments  was  prepared  outside  of  the  Working  Group  and  adopted  by  the 
Parliament83  in  September  2023  through  an  expedited  procedure  and  without  prior 
consultations  with  relevant  stakeholders.  Some  of  these  amendments,  which  are  on 
corruption-related criminal offences, raise concern since they reduce the maximum penalties 
for specific corruption-related crimes such as criminal association and abuse of office, have 
implications on the statute of limitations and the applicable criminal procedures, and remove 
from  the  Criminal  Code  a  specific  category  of  offences,  notably  abuse  of  office  in  public 
procurement84.  The  suppression  of  the  offence  ‘abuse  of  office  in  public  procurement’85  is 
considered  particularly  problematic  and  creates  risks  of  impunity.  Public  prosecutors 

77   State  Commission  for  Prevention  of  Corruption  (2024),  Annual  Report  on  the  Implementation  of  the 
National  Strategy  for  the  Prevention  of  Corruption  and  Conflict  of  Interests  2021-2025  for  the  period 
01.01.2023 – 31.12.2023.  

78   2023 Communication on EU Enlargement policy, North Macedonia Report, p. 25. 
79   Annual Report on the Implementation of the National Strategy for the Prevention of Corruption and Conflict 

of Interests 2021-2025 for the period 01.01.2023 – 31.12.2023.   

80   Law  on  Ratification  of  the  UN  Convention  against  Corruption  (Official  Gazette  no.  37/2007);  Law  on 
Ratification of the Additional Protocol to the Criminal Law Convention on Corruption (Official Gazette no. 
83/2005);  Law  on  ratification  of  the  Criminal  Law  Convention  on  Corruption  of  the  Council  of  Europe 
(Official Gazette no. 32/1999) 

81   The  Criminal  Code  has  been  amended  over  30  times  since  its  adoption  in  1996.  The  frequent  changes 

reduced legal certainty and predictability.  

82   A Working Group chaired by the Ministry of Justice and supported by the OSCE was established with the 
aim of reviewing the entire Criminal Code so that it could be amended in its integrity. The draft text of the 
new Criminal Code prepared by the Working Group, was posted on the national Single Electronic Registry 
of Regulations (ENER) on 7 July 2022. It underwent the full process of public consultation. The majority of 
the feedback and comments were incorporated into the text. The official working group completed its work 
in May 2023 and submitted the text to the Ministry of Justice. Furthermore, the authorities reported that  a 
revised  Code  of  criminal  procedure  is  under  preparation  and  will  be  consulted  with  stakeholders.  Written 
contribution from North Macedonia.  

83   Official Gazette 188/2023. 
84   2023  Communication on  EU Enlargement  policy,  North  Macedonia  Report  and  European  External Action 
Service,  Press  release  from  27.04.2023:  18th  meeting  of  the  Stabilisation  and  Association  Agreement 
Subcommittee with North Macedonia on Justice, Freedom and Security. 

85   Criminal Code, Article 353 para. 5. 

12 

 
 
underlined that these changes are negatively affecting the task of the prosecution, especially 
in  complex  high-level  corruption  cases86,  as  they  affect  the  applicable  criminal  procedures. 
Due to the structure of the Criminal Procedure Code, the reduced maximum sanctions result 
in  shortened  criminal  procedures  which  limit  the  tools  and  scope  of  investigations  thus 
hampering the authorities’ ability to effectively prosecute high-level corruption cases87. As a 
result of the new legal framework entering into force, a large number of ongoing cases from 
the  former  Special  Public  Prosecutor’s  Office  (SPO)88  have  been  terminated  due  to  the 
expiration  of  the  statute  of  limitations  or  because  the  crime  of  abuse  of  office  in  public 
procurement no longer exists89. The follow-up on the high-level corruption cases proved that 
it  has  been  particularly  difficult  for  Public  Prosecutors  to  requalify  charges  to  ensure 
accountability for the former SPO cases90. The changes to the Criminal Code were criticised 
by the European Commission and various stakeholders91 as leading to impunity.  

Resource constraints and a lack of cooperation between national authorities hamper the 
effective  prosecution  of  corruption  and  hinder  the  establishment  of  a  robust  track-
record  of  high-level  corruption  cases.  The  Public  Prosecutor’s  Office  for  Prosecuting 
Organised  Crime  and  Corruption  (OCCPPO)  is  understaffed92.  In  2023,  there  were  eight 
investigations  opened  on  high-level  corruption  cases,  one  indictment  was  formulated,  and 
four first-instance judgments were handed down.  There were no final convictions for high-
level  corruption  cases  in  202393.  The  investigative  centres  within  the  Public  Prosecutor’s 
Office lack the necessary human and financial resources to  increase the  overall quality  and 
efficiency  of  the  investigations  and  systematically  undertake  parallel  criminal  and  financial 
investigations, followed by seizure and confiscation of criminal assets94. Stakeholders noted 
that  insufficient  cooperation  between  the  PPO,  the  SCPC  and  the  State  Audit  Office 
hindering  the  establishment  of  a  robust  track-record  on  fighting  corruption,  especially  as 
regards financial investigations95. They underlined that the lack of coordination among state 
institutions  and  the  institutional  architecture  are  more  generally  the  main  challenges  in  the 
fight  against  corruption96.  To  promote  inter-institutional  cooperation  in  the  fight  against 

86   Information received from institutions involved in the fight against corruption  in the context of the country 

visit to North Macedonia. 

87   The  shortened  criminal  procedure  limits  the  timeframe  for  pre-trial  investigations,  including  the  use  of 

special investigative measures (e.g., surveillance measures) and implies one judge trials. 

88   See above footnote 70. 
89   The  Head  of  the  Public  Prosecution  Office  has  announced  that  that  they  submitted  an  initiative  to  the 
Supreme Court for extraordinary legal remedy to challenge the practice of courts finding that abuse of office 
in public procurement has been decriminalized. Press conference by the Head of the PPO on 01.03.2024. 
90   2023 Communication on EU Enlargement policy, North Macedonia Report; See also: Platform of CSOs for 
the  Fight  against  Corruption;  Blueprint  Group;  Transparency  International  North  Macedonia  (2024), 
Corruption Barometer. 

91   Idem p. 22 
92   2023 Communication on EU Enlargement policy, North Macedonia Report. 
93   Written contribution from North Macedonia in the context of the country visit to North Macedonia.   
94   Idem p. 25.  
95   Information received from institutions involved in the fight against corruption and civil society in the context 

of the country visit to North Macedonia. 

96   Information received from civil society in the context of the country visit to North Macedonia. 

13 

 
 
corruption,  in  July  2023  the  Government  reactivated97  the  Inter-ministerial  Body  for 
Coordination of Anti-Corruption Activities98.  

The  State  Commission  for  Prevention  of  Corruption  (SCPC)  has  continued  efforts  to 
fulfil  its  mandate  despite  limited  resources.  The  State  Commission  initiated  several  new 
cases, including in relation to conflict of interests, prevention of corruption in politics, non-
reporting  of  assets  and  interests,  and  was  proactive  in  offering  policy  guidance  to  public 
institutions  on  corruption  prevention99.  Following  its  appointment  by  the  Parliament,  the 
State Commission held its constitutive session on 16 February 2024 in its new composition, 
affirming  its  dedication  to  maintaining  the  body’s  independence  and  rejecting  any  external 
pressure  or  influence.  Furthermore,  the  SCPC  expressed  a  commitment  to  enhance 
collaboration  with  the  Public  Prosecutor’s  Office  and  other  national  authorities  to  ensure 
effective follow-up of its initiatives100. Proceedings in assets declarations101 and conflicts of 
interest are an important part of the SCPC work. Its capacity to verify statements of interest 
and assets increased over time as also noted by GRECO102. However, it lacks specialised staff 
with  investigative  experience103.  The  interoperability  across  databases  from  relevant 
institutions is not yet fully operational, hindering such verification104. The effectiveness of the 
SCPC in carrying out oversight of political campaigns is also negatively affected by lack of 
resources  and  relevant  professional  expertise,  as  well  as  by  the  fact  that data  are  processed 

97   Decision on the establishment of the Interdepartmental Body for Coordination of Anti-Corruption Activities 

(Official Gazette, No. 145/23). 

98   Chaired  by  the  Deputy  Prime  Minister  in  charge  of  good  governance  policies  and  including  members  – 
representatives  of  the  Public  Prosecutor’s  Office,  Judicial  Council,  Council  of  Public  Prosecutors,  State 
Commission for Prevention of Corruption, State Audit Office, Government of North Macedonia  – Office of 
the  Deputy  Prime  Minister  in  charge  of  welfare  policies  governance,  the  Ministry  of  the  Interior,  the 
Ministry  of  Justice,  the  Ministry  of  Finance,  the  Ministry  of  Information  Society  and Administration,  the 
Financial Police Authority, the Customs Administration, the Financial Intelligence Authority, the Bureau of 
Public Procurement, the Agency for the Management of Forfeited Assets, the Secretariat for European issues 
and the Delegation of North Macedonia to the GRECO. 

99   According  to  the  SCPC  data:  During  2023,  549  new  reports  on  corruption  cases  were  submitted  to  the 
SCPC,  and  13  cases  were  opened  on  their  own  initiative,  a  total  of  1139  cases  were  completed  (1074 
decisions and 65 conclusions). Of the completed 1139 cases, 29 initiatives for initiating criminal prosecution 
proceedings  have  been  submitted  to  the  competent  primary  public  prosecutor’s  office  (for  13  there  is  an 
answer,  and  for  16  an  answer  is  expected),  28  initiatives  for  determining  responsibility  of  managers  and 
officials have been submitted to the competent institutions (for 10 initiatives there is a response, and for 18 a 
response  is  expected),  24  other  initiatives  and  requests  are  derived  from  actions  on  cases,  22 
recommendations  and  10  indications  have  been  submitted  to  state  institutions  and  authorities  for  taking 
specific measures based on ascertained situations.   

100  Public statement as reported in media from 8 February 2024.  
101  In the course of 2023, a total of 1 377 Asset Declarations were submitted to the SCSC, out of which 808 for 
election/appointment  to  office,  74  for  termination  of  office  and  495  for  change  of  asset  status. The  SCPC 
processes the newly submitted declarations and updates the data on changes in property status. Its website 
(www.dksk.org.mk)  published  for  2023  data  from  declarations  of  10633  elected  and  appointed  persons. 
Furthermore, the SCPC maintains a register of elected and appointed persons as a single database. 

102  GRECO  (2023),  Fifth  Evaluation  Round  –  Preventing  corruption  and  promoting  integrity  in  central 

governments (top executive functions) and law enforcement agencies, Second Compliance Report. 

103  According to the authorities the number of employees in the Secretariat of the SCPC will increase, so that 
out  of  the  64  jobs  positions  foreseen  by  the  act of  systematization,  52  jobs  positions  will  be  filled,  which 
represents  81%  occupancy  and  an  improvement  in  the  situation  with  human  resources  compared  to  the 
previous year when the occupancy rate was 75%. 

104  2023 Communication on EU Enlargement policy, North Macedonia Report, p. 24. 

14 

 
 
manually105. The SCPC tends to be reactive rather than proactive, and its reports’ conclusions 
are often not fully addressed106. Overall, the practical application of the system of sanctions 
in respect of violations of conflicts of interest, integrity and anti-corruption legislation and the 
need to ensure that these sanctions are effective, proportionate and dissuasive107 still need to 
be addressed as noted by GRECO108. 

While the legal framework and lobbying registers are in place, there are no registered 
lobbyists yet. The Law on lobbying was adopted in June 2021109 and regulates the conditions 
for acquiring the status of lobbyist and lobby organisation, registration as well the processes 
of preparing, adopting and amending public policies. It also extended the competences of the 
SCPC, adding the responsibility to keep a register of lobbyists and lobbying organisations110. 
However, there are no lobbyists registered so far111.  

There are several gaps as regards financing of political parties. The Law on the financing 
of  political  parties112  stipulates  how  funding  can  be  provided  to  and  managed  by  political 
parties.  The  Electoral  Code113  sets  out  the  rules  on  the  financing  of  electoral  campaigns114. 
Concrete regulation on the amount of bank loans and the possibility to donate after elections, 
as well as of third-party financing, is to be developed. The legislation does not align donation 
limits  with  spending  limits,  thus  leaving  open  the  possibility  that  for  local  elections,  in 
smaller  municipalities,  a  single  individual  can  entirely  fund  a  campaign115.  Regarding 
electoral campaign financing, the new Electoral Code from March 2024 narrowed the scope 
of  interim  campaign  finance  reporting,  shortened  the  deadline  for  submitting  the  final 
financial  report,  and  defined  certain  donation  limits.  However,  it  did  not  address  long 
standing  systemic  issues,  as  previously  recommended  by  ODIHR.  These  include  regulation 
of  third-party  financing  of  campaigns,  reporting  on  in-kind  contributions  and  loans, 
harmonising timeframes and deadlines for the receipt and publication of reports to allow for 
meaningful  scrutiny,  as  well  as  providing  adequate  authority,  resources,  and  sanctioning 

105  ODHIR (2024), North Macedonia, Presidential Election, 24 April 2024:  Statement of Preliminary Findings 

and Conclusions.  

106  2023 Communication on EU Enlargement policy, North Macedonia Report, p. 24. 
107 The SCPC reported that it takes active part in the working group responsible for amending the Law on the 
Prevention of Corruption and Conflict of Interest, to ensure that the system of sanctions is addressed in line 
with the EU standards.  

108  GRECO  (2023), Fifth  Evaluation  Round  -  Prevention  of  corruption  and  promotion  of  integrity  in  central 

governments (top executive functions) and law enforcement agencies, Second Compliance Report. 

109 OG 122/2021 from 03.06.2021 
110  SCPC  developed  and  put  into  operation  an  electronic  Register  of  lobbyists,  lobby  organizations  and 
lobbying, which can be accessed through a link published on its web portal. See: Register of lobbyists and 
organizations. 

111  While  misdemeanour  sanctions  are  foreseen  for  violation  of 

the  prescribed  obligations  of 

the 

lobbyist/lobbying organization and lobbied persons, they appear inefficient or not applied.  

112  Official Gazette, No. 76/2004, 86/2008, 161/2008, 96/2009, 148/11, 142/12, 23/13, 140/18 and 294/20 
113  Official Gazette, No. 40/2006, 127/2006, 136/2008, 155/2008, 163/2008, 44/11, 51/11, 142/12, 31/13, 34/13, 
14/14,  30/14,  31/15,  196/15,  35/16,  97/16,  99/16,  136/16,  142/16,  57/17,  67/17,  125/17,  35/18,  99/18, 
140/18, 208/18, 27/19, 98/19, 146/19, 42/20, 74/21, 215/21 and 58/24 
114  2023 Communication on EU Enlargement policy, North Macedonia Report. 
115 2023 Screening report North Macedonia, Cluster 1 – Fundamentals, p. 10. 

15 

 
 
power to the oversight bodies116. There is no mechanism in place for electronic submission of 
campaign financial reports.   

The Government is updating the law on the protection of whistleblowers. The law on the 
protection  of  whistleblowers117  entered  into  force  in  March  2016.  The  oversight  of  its 
implementation is done by the Ministry of Justice and the SCPC collects data, writes reports, 
and  gives  an  annual  assessment  of  the  implementation.  The  protection  of  whistleblowers 
needs to be further aligned with European standards118. GRECO has recommended to North 
Macedonia  to  strengthen  substantially  the  measures  for  the  practical  implementation  of  the 
law within the police and to make related information accessible to the public119. A working 
group was established in  May 2023 to  prepare  a  new draft law on protected disclosure and 
protection  of  whistleblowers.  The  working  group  includes  representatives  of  State  bodies, 
academia, and civil society120. Moreover, expert support for the preparation of the draft law 
will  continue  through  the  Project  against  Economic  Crime,  within  the  third  phase  of  the 
programme of the Horizontal Facility of the European Union and the Council of Europe121.  

High risk of corruption remains prevalent in many areas, with public procurement and 
public  sector  employment  being  at  particular  risk122.  Overall,  anti-corruption  measures 
continue to have limited impact in particularly vulnerable sectors123. A systematic approach 
in  tackling  corruption  to  address  the  common  denominators  of  the  risk  factors  is  lacking. 
These  denominators  include  strong  political  influence  in  the  public  sector;  low  rate  of 
sanctioning  corruptive  behaviour;  inconsistent  regulations;  low  level  of  enforcement  of 
integrity measures; insufficient transparency, oversight system and control mechanisms in the 
public  sector124.  Lack  of  compliance  with  employment  laws  in  the  public  sector  has  been 
noted  as  a  relevant  area  for  corruption  as  it  enables  various  forms  of  influence,  such  as 
political  party  influence,  nepotism,  cronyism  and  clientelism125.  Civil  society  organisations 
also  indicate  that  party  and  family  connections  often  influence  appointments  in  the  public 
sector126.  

III.  MEDIA PLURALISM AND MEDIA FREEDOM 

The Constitution enshrines the right to freedom of expression, as well as the right of access to 
information  of  public  interest127.  The  tasks,  organisational  structure  and  functioning  of  the 

116 OSCE/ODHIR  Election Observation Mission  (2024),  Interim Report on the Presidential and Parliamentary 

Elections 2024.  

117  Official Gazette, No. 196/15, 35/18 and 257/20.6 
118  2023 Communication on EU Enlargement policy, North Macedonia Report, p. 25. 
119  GRECO  (2023),  Fifth  Evaluation  Round  -  Prevention  of  corruption  and  promotion  of  integrity  in  central 
authorities-governments  (top  executive  functions)  and  law  enforcement  agencies,  Second  Compliance 
Report.  

120  The  working  group  is  composed  of  representatives  of:  SCPC,  judiciary,  Public  Prosecution  Office, 
Ombudsman Office, Inspection Council, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Justice, academic community, civil 
organizations and business community and trade unions. 

121  Council  of  Europe  Economic  (2024),  Press  release  05.12.2023,  The  Council  of  Europe  supports  the 

whistleblower protection reform in North Macedonia.  

122  Transparency International Macedonia (2023), National integrity system assessment North Macedonia. 
123  2023 Screening report North Macedonia, Cluster 1 – Fundamentals, p. 51. 
124  Ibidem. 
125  Transparency International Macedonia (2023), National integrity system assessment North Macedonia. 
126  Ibidem. Freedom House Report (2024), Nations in Transit: Country Report North Macedonia. 
127  Article 16 of the Constitution. 

16 

 
 
national  audio-visual  media  regulatory  authority,  the  Agency  for  Audio  and  Audiovisual 
Media Services, and the public broadcaster, Macedonian Radio Television, are prescribed in 
the Law on audio and audio-visual media services128. 

The  Agency  for  Audio  and  Audiovisual  Media  Services  fulfils  its  tasks,  while  its 
financial and institutional independence remain to be further strengthened. As part of its 
legal  obligations,  the  regulator  supervises  broadcasters,  operators  of  public  electronic 
communication networks, providers of on-demand media services, as well as monitors media 
ownership  on  a  regular  basis,  regulates  illicit  media  concentration,  ownership  transparency 
and  keeps  a  register  of  broadcasting  and  print  media129.  In  2023,  despite  statutory 
provisions130, the Government  continued to  transfer incomplete funding to the broadcasting 
sector, thus endangering its financial and institutional independence131. Lack of appointments 
by Parliament to the media regulator’s Council are a source of concern as they are pending 
since  December  2018132.  The  reason  is  lack  of  political  consensus,  as  a  two-thirds 
parliamentary  majority  is  required133.  The  independence  of  the  media  regulator  should  be 
strengthened134. Despite these challenges, the work of the Agency for audio and audio-visual 
media  services  has  been  positively  assessed  by media  associations135.  The  Media  Pluralism 
Monitor (MPM) 2024 considers the independence and effectiveness of the media authority to 
be an area of low risk136.  

The Council of Media Ethics continues to be put under pressure. The Council of Media 
Ethics  is  a  self-regulatory  body  composed  of  different  media  associations  representing 
traditional and new media outlets on a voluntary basis. It handles complaints about breaches 
of  professional  and  ethical  standards.  In  2023,  the  Council  of  Media  Ethics  received  132 
complaints for such breaches, 110 of which refer to violations committed by online media137. 
The review of received complaints shows a quadruple increase in complaints related to hate 
speech compared to the previous year138. The institution has suffered increased pressure over 
its work from political and economic actors, but also from media representatives139. 

128  Law  on audio and audiovisual media services.  North Macedonia ranks 36th  in the  2024 Reporters Without 

Borders World Press Freedom Index compared to 38th in 2023. 

129  Law on audio and audiovisual media services. 
130  The Law on audio and audiovisual media services specifies that the amount of public funding for the public 
service  broadcaster,  the  Agency  for  Audio  and  Audiovisual  Media  Services  and  the  public  broadcasting 
enterprise is to represent 1% of the realised tax revenues determined in the last adopted final account of the 
Budget of North Macedonia. 

131  2023 Communication on EU Enlargement policy, North Macedonia Report, p. 31. 
132  2023 Communication on EU Enlargement policy, North Macedonia Report, p. 29. This also applies to the 

Programme Council of the Public Service Broadcaster. 

133  Article 108 – Appointment of members of the Programming Council of MRT; a majority of votes from the 
total  number  of  deputies  belonging  to  communities  that  are  not  a  majority  in  the  country  for  these 
appointments [double or so-called Badinter majority]. 

134  2023 Communication on EU Enlargement policy, North Macedonia Report, p. 31. 
135  Information received from civil society in the context of the country visit to North Macedonia.  
136 2024 Media Pluralism Monitor, country report for North Macedonia, p.13. 
137  The Council of Media Ethics, Facebook, 15 January 2024. 
138  2024 Media Pluralism Monitor, country report for North Macedonia, p.23. 
139  Sporadic  incidents  of  pressure  have  been  identified  which  include  insults  from  senior  staff  of  a  national 
television,  threats  by  media  owners  after  disagreement  with  decisions  of  the  complaints  commission, 
reporting  the  Council  of  Media  Ethics  Facebook  page.  See  also:  2023  Screening  report North  Macedonia, 
Cluster 1 – Fundamentals. 

17 

 
 
 
transparency  of  media  ownership  and  media 
Challenges  remain  concerning 
concentration. Print and broadcast media have legal obligations to disclose details on their 
ownership  to  the  audiovisual  media  regulatory  body140  but  there  is  no  specific  media  law 
covering  ownership  and  financial  reporting  of  digital  national  media141.  The  ownership 
registry  for  digital  national  media  is  a  self-regulatory  measure.  The  MPM  2024  points  to  a 
medium  risk  regarding  the  transparency  of  media  ownership  and  the  plurality  of  media 
providers142,  based  on  its  finding  that  there  is  a  lack  of  data  on  horizontal  and  cross-media 
concentration variables. Notably, there is insufficient data on market and audience shares for 
digital native, print  media, and radio  stations.  In  contrast,  North  Macedonia’s policymakers 
and stakeholders have access to reliable data for measuring the share of the biggest players in 
the  audiovisual  media  sector’s  concentration143.  North  Macedonia  has  legislation,  which  is 
currently  under  review  as  part  of  EU  assistance,  to  prevent  horizontal  concentration  of 
ownership  of  broadcast  media144.  Stakeholders  in  the  media  sector  have  reported  that  close 
ties  between  certain  media  owners  and  political  actors  in  North  Macedonia  lead  to  self-
censorship  and  a  reluctance  to  report  on  issues  that  may  be  unfavourable  to  political  and 
business leadership145.  

Concerns  have  been  raised  regarding  certain  elements  of  the  reintroduction  of  state-
funded advertising. The Law on audio and audio-visual media services was amended in July 
2023146  to  ensure  alignment  with  the  EU  acquis147.  However,  on  28  February  2024, 
Parliament adopted a new set of amendments, by using a fast-track legislative procedure148. 
One  of  these  amendments  faced  substantial  criticism  from  the  media  regulator  and 
journalists’  associations149.  The  primary  concerns  centred  around  the  threat  to  media 
pluralism  posed by  certain  elements  of the reintroduction of state-funded advertising which 
had  previously  been  abolished  in  2018150.  While  the  authorities  carried  out  a  consultation 
process  on  the  draft  legislation,  the  key  stakeholders  complained  that  their  views  were  not 
reflected  in  the  final  version  of  the  law151.  Warnings  were  also  issued  concerning  the 

140  Law on media and audiovisual services. 
141  2024 Media Pluralism Monitor, country report for North Macedonia, p. 15. 
142  2024 Media Pluralism Monitor, country report for North Macedonia, pp. 15-16. 
143  Ibid.  
144  Law  on  audio  and  audiovisual  media  services;  2024  Media  Pluralism  Monitor,  country  report  for  North 

Macedonia, p. 16. 

145  Information  received  from  stakeholders  in  the  media  sector  in  the  context  of  the  country  visit  to  North 
Macedonia.  See  also:  Safejournalists.net  (2023),  North  Macedonia:  Indicators  for  the  degree  of  media 
freedom and journalists’ safety in 2022. “Journalists and media workers say that the biggest problem is the 
fact that media owners have a different core business, which is not media work. Most often, other companies 
are  behind  the  outlet,  which,  in  turn,  are  bound  by  tenders  with  ministries  and  institutions  and  from  that 
aspect there are taboo topics for certain media outlets.” 

146  Law on media and audiovisual services. 
147  Audiovisual Media Services Directive (EU) 2018/1808. 
148 The so-called ‘EU flag’ procedure, see details below, p.22. 
149  The  head of the media regulator, the Agency for Audio and Audiovisual Media Services (AVMU) and the 
president  of  the  State  Commission  for  the  Prevention  of  Corruption  shared  concerns  publicly,  see  report 
from  Prizma  (2024),  Risk  of misuse  of  election  advertising  money.  See  also  2023  Communication on  EU 
Enlargement policy, North Macedonia Report. 

150  Information  received  from  the  Agency  for  Audio  and  Audiovisual  Media  and  from  Association  of 
Journalists  of  Macedonia  in  the  context  of  the  country  visit  to  North  Macedonia.  See  also  2024  Media 
Pluralism Monitor, country report for North Macedonia, pp. 34-35, 37. 

151  Idem. 

18 

 
 
potential for political misuse of funds, given that an ad hoc parliamentary body is proposed to 
determine the allocation for “state campaigns”, which lack a clear definition152.  

The  Public  Service  Broadcaster  faces  challenges.  The  mandate  of  the  public  service 
broadcaster, the Macedonian  Radio Television, is specified in  the Law on audio  and audio-
visual media services153. It broadcasts via five different channels154. The MPM 2024 points to 
a  medium  risk  regarding  the  political  independence  of  the  media  and  editorial  autonomy155 
The  lack  of  appointments  in  the  Programme  Council  of  the  public  service  broadcaster 
remains  a  source  of  concern,  as  they  have  been  pending  since  December  2018,  given 
Parliament’s  failure  to  reach  political  consensus,  as  a  two-third  parliamentary  majority  is 
required156. Reform of the public service broadcaster is required to make it more modern and 
independence,  professional  standards  and  financial 
competitive,  and  strengthen 
sustainability  157.  Funding  for  the  organisation  had  not  been  stable,  creating  uncertainty  in 
planning158.  For  now,  no  solution  has  been  found  to  the  long-standing  debts  of  the 
organisation towards the state which endangers the sustainability of the broadcaster159. 

its 

The Agency for Protection of Free Access to Public Information ensures access to public 
information despite limited resources, while there are concerns regarding refusals and 
delays. The citizens’ right to access public information is embedded in the Constitution and 
secondary  legislation160.  The  Agency  for  Protection  of  Free  Access  to  Public  Information 
processes  lodged  appeals  and  monitors  information  holders,  despite  limited  funding161.  On 
average,  there  have  been  8 500  requests  for  public  information  annually  in  the  past  three 
years162. Stakeholders expressed concerns that the protection of personal data is often used as 
a blanket reason to refuse access to documents and the delay for obtaining the information is 
too long, especially for journalists who work on tight deadlines163. The MPM 2024 confirms 
that  while  the  legal  protection  of  the  right  to  information  carries  a  low  risk,  public 
administration is not sufficiently responsive in giving access to information in practice164. 

152  Media outlet founded by the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network. See: Prizma (2024), Media reforms: 

to the right, around and back.  

153  Law on media and audiovisual services. 
154  MRT  1  –  Macedonian  language  channel;  MRT  2  –  Albanian  language  channel;  MRT  3  –  channel 
broadcasting  sports  and  entertainment;  MRT  4  –  channel  in  other  minorities  languages  (such  as  Turkish, 
Serbian, Romany, Vlach and Bosnian); MRT 5 – channel for children; MRT Sobraniski Kanal – broadcasts 
the activities of the Assembly of North Macedonia. 

155  2024 Media Pluralism Monitor, country report for North Macedonia, p.  18 and 20. 2024 MPM underlines 
“clientelist  practices  between  political  parties  in  power  and  the  largest  audiovisual  media,  which  expose 
vulnerabilities for a potential political control over these media”. 

156  Idem;  The  Law  on  audio  and  audiovisual  media  services; Article  108  – Appointment  of  members  of  the 
Programming Council of MRT. The Assembly of the Republic of North Macedonia appoints the members of 
the  Programming  Council  of MRT  with  a  two-thirds  majority  of  votes  from  the  total  number  of  deputies, 
ensuring that there is  a majority of votes from the total number of deputies belonging to communities that 
are not a majority. 

157  2023 Communication on EU Enlargement policy, North Macedonia Report, pp. 6, 29 and 30. 
158  2023 Communication on EU Enlargement policy, North Macedonia Report. 
159  2023 Communication on EU Enlargement policy, North Macedonia Report. 
160  Articles 4, 12 and 21 of Law on Free Access to Public Information (Official Gazette No. 101/19). 
161  2023 Communication on EU Enlargement policy, North Macedonia Report, p. 16. 
162  2023 Screening report North Macedonia, Cluster 1 – Fundamentals. 
163  Information  received  from  stakeholders  in  the  media  sector  in  the  context  of  the  country  visit  to  North 

Macedonia. 

164  2024 Media Pluralism Monitor, country report for North Macedonia, p. 13. 

19 

 
 
through 

journalists  have  been  awarded  special  protection 

Legislative  measures  have  enhanced  the  legal  safeguards  for  the  protection  of 
journalists,  however  threats  and  acts  of  violence  against  journalists  have  been  noted. 
The  Council  of  Europe  Platform  to  promote  the  protection  of  journalism  and  safety  of 
journalists, has published 99 alerts since July 2023. With the reform of the Criminal Code in 
February  2023165, 
their 
identification  as  a  protected  group,  akin  to  public  officials,  thereby  empowering  the  Public 
Prosecutor’s  Office  to  initiate  proceedings  on  its  own  initiative  when  a  journalist  or  media 
worker is attacked. A dedicated public prosecutor has been appointed166. Those convicted of 
perpetrating  physical  violence  or  acts  of  intimidation  against  journalists  are  now  subject  to 
more  severe  penalties.  To  further  support  journalists  facing  digital  threats,  the  Ministry  of 
Interior  designated  a  liaison  officer  within  the  Cybercrime  Unit167.  In  2023,  the  authorities 
registered seven  cases  in which journalists or media workers appear  as injured persons  and 
judicial  steps  were  taken168.  Furthermore,  journalists  and  editors  no  longer  perceive  civil 
defamation  laws  as  a  significant  risk  to  investigative  journalism  following  the  2022 
amendments  to  the  Law  on  Civil  Liability  for  Insult  and  Defamation,  which  significantly 
reduced  the  potential  non-pecuniary  damages  imposed  on  media  outlets  and  journalists  in 
defamation  lawsuits169.  These  amendments  limit  the  ability  of  influential  individuals  to 
initiate  Strategic  Lawsuits  Against  Public  Participation 
(SLAPPs)  against  media 
organisations  and  journalists  and  decreased  the  fines  applied  in  cases  of  defamation. 
However, a mechanism to support targets of SLAPPs is lacking170. In 2023, the Association 
of  Journalists  registered  six  cases  of  SLAPP  lawsuits171.  Beyond  safety172,  the  overall 
precarious labour and economic conditions of journalists and media workers are identified as 
a  reason  of  concern173.  The  MPM  2024  reports  a  medium  risk  for  journalistic  profession, 
standards, and protection174. 

165  Official Gazette 188/2023. 
166  Input from North Macedonia for the 2024 Rule of Law Report, p. 25.  
167  2023 Communication on EU Enlargement policy, North Macedonia Report. 
168  According to the authorities, in 2023 in four cases the procedure has been fully implemented and a verdict 
has  been  pronounced  against  the  perpetrators  of  the  crimes  and  the  remaining  three  cases  are  in  the  pre-
investigation stage. Input from North Macedonia for the 2024 Rule of Law Report, p. 25. 

169  Association of Journalists of Macedonia (2023), Media Freedom in North Macedonia: Fragile Progress Fact-

finding press freedom mission report, p. 10. 

170  2023 Screening report North Macedonia, Cluster 1 – Fundamentals; 2024 Media Pluralism Monitor, country 

report for North Macedonia, p. 13. 

171  One  notable  defamation  judgment  widely  characterised  as  a  SLAPP  case  was  registered  concerning 
investigative journalists of a not-for-profit media organisation. See: Association of Journalists of Macedonia 
(2023),  How  to  ensure  more  effective  protection  from  strategic  lawsuits  against  public  participations 
(SLAPPS)?, 2024 Media Pluralism Monitor, country report for North Macedonia, p. 12, 28,  Media freedom 
Rapid  Response  (2023),  Judge  recommends  closing  the  investigative  media  outlet  Investigative  Reporting 
Laboratory  (IRL)  and  Media  Freedom  Rapid  Response  (2023),  Judge  Jovanka  Spirovska  Paneva  rules 
against IRL in defamation case. 

172  Since  July  2023,  the  Mapping  Media  Freedom  platform  by  the  European  Centre  for  Press  and  Media 
Freedom has registered six incidents involving intimidation/threatening or injury (physical assault resulting 
in  injury).    Cases  of  online  and  offline  harassment  and  verbal  attacks,  especially  on  social  media  and 
increasing  against  female  journalists  was  also  noted  by  the  European  Civic  Forum  (2024),  Civic  Space 
Report 2024 – Western Balkans (Balkan Civil Society Development Network), pp. 337-338. 

173  2023 Communication on EU Enlargement policy, North Macedonia Report; 2024 Media Pluralism Monitor, 

country report for North Macedonia, p. 13. 

174  2024 Media Pluralism Monitor, country report for North Macedonia, p. 13. 

20 

 
 
 
IV.  OTHER INSTITUTIONAL ISSUES RELATED TO CHECKS AND BALANCES 

North  Macedonia  is  a  unicameral  parliamentary  democracy  where  the  Parliament  holds  the 
legislative  power  and  elects  the  Government  and  other  high-ranking  officials175.  The 
executive  power176  is  headed  by  the  Prime  Minister.  The  President  who  is  directly  elected 
every five years, signs laws, and has suspensive veto power177, which can be overridden by a 
parliamentary majority178. Every member of Parliament, the Government,  or at least 10 000 
citizens have the right to propose a law for adoption. The Constitutional Court is competent 
to  assess the constitutionality  and legality  of acts179. The Ombudsperson, who is  elected by 
Parliament,  is  tasked  with  the  promotion  and  protection  of  human  rights  and  fundamental 
freedoms  and  assumes  the  function  of  the  National  Human  Rights  Institution180.  Other 
independent  and regulatory bodies in  the field  of human rights  include the Commission for 
Prevention and Protection against Discrimination and the Data Protection Agency. 

Political  polarisation  in  Parliament  has  caused  delays  in  its  work  and  led  to  the 
excessive and sometimes inappropriate use of accelerated legislative procedures. In light 
of  the  strong  polarisation,  challenges  remain  in  terms  of  efficiently  planning  in  the  law-
making process. The blocking of parliamentary work, including for lack of dialogue, has led 
to delays in the parliament’s legislative agenda, and in important appointments, including for 
judges  to  the  Constitutional  Court,  and  Deputy  Ombudspersons181.  At  the  same  time,  there 
has  been  a  concerning  increase  in  the  use  of  accelerated  parliamentary  procedures  and  in 
particular, the so-called  ‘EU flag’ procedure182. While the ‘EU flag’ procedure should only 
apply to legislative changes with the primary purpose to align them with the EU acquis, it has 
also been applied to legislative initiatives that did not fulfil this criterion183. This meant that 
wide-ranging legislative changes were adopted within days of being tabled in Parliament, and 
without  public  consultation  or  impact  assessment,  thus  restricting  public  and  parliamentary 
scrutiny and undermining the quality and legitimacy of legislation. To address some of these 

175  Among others, the parliament appoints judges of the Constitutional Court, and the Ombudsman. 
176  The  functioning  and  competences  are  defined  in  Chapter  III  of  the  Constitution,  i.e.  Articles  88,  89, 

Amendment XXIII, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96 and 97. 

177  Role and mandate of the President are defined in Articles 79, 80, and 84 of the Constitution. 
178  Art 75 of the Constitution.  
179  Articles 108, and 110 of the Constitution. 
180  The Ombudsperson is accredited with B status by the Global Alliance of Human Rights Institutions (2023), 

Chart of the status of national institutions – Accreditation status as of 2011. 

181  The  Constitutional  Court  is  now  in  full  composition  following  the  appointments  in  February  2024. 

Outstanding appointments are six Deputy Ombudspersons. 

182  There are different types of legislative procedures: regular, urgent, shortened, and the “EU flag procedure”. 
Urgent  procedures  are  intended  for  enactment  of  laws  during  crises,  while  the  shortened  procedure  is 
intended for less complex draft laws, the termination of the validity of a law or its provisions, or for minor 
interventions for harmonisation with the EU acquis. The EU flag procedure is used for acts transposing the 
EU acquis into national law and are dealt with by the European Affairs Committee in Parliament instead of 
the  otherwise  competent  parliamentary  committee.  Article  79.2,  135.5,  171-a  to  171-d  of  the  Rules  of 
Procedure. From January 2022 to 15 June 2023, 51 laws were adopted by regular procedure and 86 under a 
shortened procedure, with an increase in the ratio of shortened procedures from 38% to 58%. See also: 2023 
Communication on EU Enlargement policy, North Macedonia Report. 

183  The ‘EU flag’ procedure was inappropriately used to amend the Criminal Code, introducing lower penalties 
for  corruption,  and  to  amend  laws  on  labour  relations,  expropriation,  urban  planning,  construction,  and 
highways. Notably concerning the amendments to the Criminal Code, the majority of amendments were not 
directed  at  aligning  with  EU  acquis,  and  the  amendments  were  strongly  criticised,  including  by  the  EU 
Commission, as they negatively affect ongoing high-level corruption cases.  

21 

 
 
issues, new Rules of Procedure for Parliament have been adopted, which include provisions 
aimed  at  enhancing  Parliamentary  oversight  and  efficiency,  and  to  strengthen  the 
Parliament’s role in deciding on the use of the accelerated procedures. Following the general 
election  in  May  2024,  the  new  rules  of  procedure  entered  into  force  with  the  constitutive 
session of the new parliament184.  

the  platform185.  Impact  assessments  are 

Shortcomings remain in the implementation of the processes for inclusive and evidence-
based  policymaking.  A  national  electronic  consultation  system  allowing  stakeholders  to 
participate  in  public  consultations  is  in  place,  but  only  a  limited  number  of  draft  laws  are 
published  on 
their 
implementation  remains inconsistent  and of limited quality.  In 2022, 54% of the draft laws 
submitted  by  the  Government  to  Parliament  had  undergone  an  impact  assessment,  and  of 
these, only 37% were published on the electronic consultation platform186. Stakeholders have 
indicated  that  impact  assessments  are  carried  out  as  a  formality  rather  than  as  a  genuine 
evaluation of potential impacts, with efforts for improvement focused on budgetary impact187. 
Shortcomings  also  remain  concerning  the  quality  of  legislative  drafting  and  consistency 
within  the  legislative  framework188.  The  high  frequency  of  amendments  to  the  same  laws 
leads to legal uncertainty and hinder their implementation189.  

legally  required,  but 

On 1 January 2024, North Macedonia had 13 leading judgments of the European Court 
of  Human  Rights  pending  implementation190.  At  that  time,  North  Macedonia’s  rate  of 
leading judgments from the past ten years that remained pending was at 29%, and the average 
time that the judgments had been pending implementation was 3 years and 9 months191. The 
oldest leading judgment, pending implementation for more than 14 years, concerns violations 
of the applicant’s right to liberty on account of the lack of concrete and sufficient grounds for 
his  detention192.  As  regards  the  respect  of  payment  deadlines,  on  31  December  2023  there 

184  Rules  of  Procedures  of  the  Parliament  were  adopted  November  2023  (Official  Gazette  No.248/2023)  The 
revisions concern issues related to the organisation of constitutive session, greater governmental oversight, 
public hearings, the parliamentary calendar and procedures for ‘EU-flagged’ laws.  

185  The  Single  National  Electronic  Register  of  Regulations  (ENER)  is  the  main  tool  for  consultation  on 
legislative  proposals  prior  to  their  submission  in  Government  procedure,  with  a  deadline  of  20  days  for 
comments.  North  Macedonia  reports  that  40%  of  drafts  were  published  on  ENER.  Both  mark  a  sharp 
decrease from 2018 where the figure stood at 86%. 

186  2023 Screening report North Macedonia, Cluster 1 – Fundamentals, pp. 25-26. 
187  Information  received  from  civil  society  in  the  context  of  the  country  visit  to  North  Macedonia,  see  also: 

2023 Communication on EU Enlargement policy, North Macedonia Report, p. 14. 
188  2023 Communication on EU Enlargement policy, North Macedonia Report, p. 15. 
189  In 2022, 25% of new laws adopted in 2020 had to be amended within a year.  2023 Screening report North 

Macedonia, Cluster 1 – Fundamentals, p. 25-26. 

190  The  adoption of necessary execution measures for a judgment by the European Court of Human Rights is 
supervised by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. It is the Committee’s practice to group 
cases against a State requiring similar execution measures, particularly general measures, and examine them 
jointly. The first case in the group is designated as the leading case as regards the supervision of the general 
measures and repetitive cases within the group can be closed when it is assessed that all possible individual 
measures needed to provide redress to the applicant have been taken. 

191  All figures are calculated by the European Implementation Network and are based on the number of cases 
that  are  considered  pending  at  the  annual  cut-off  date  of  1  January  2024.  See  the  Contribution  from  the 
European Implementation Network on Enlargement Countries for the 2024 Rule of Law Report, p. 2. 

192  Judgment of the European Court of Human Rights of 28 October 2010,  Vasilkoski and Others v. the former 

Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia group of cases, 28169/08, pending implementation since 2010. 

22 

 
 
were  9  cases  in  total  awaiting  confirmation  of  payments  (compared  to  3  in  2022)193.  On  1 
July 2024, the number of leading judgments pending implementation had increased to 17194.  

The Office of the Ombudsperson is under-resourced, and challenges for the systematic 
follow-up to its findings  and recommendations remain.  Despite its extended mandate195, 
the Office lacks financial and human resources to function independently and effectively196. 
The budget of the Ombudsperson Office is approved by the executive, which was indicated 
by  the  Office  as  having  a  negative  impact  on  its  independence.  Only  four  out  of  the  ten 
foreseen Deputies  are in  office197. The Office has suffered from  a lack of support  staff and 
has been unable to fill vacancies, arguably as a consequence of the low salaries198. In 2022, 
the Office dealt with 3 482 complaints, and it referred 120 cases to  judicial bodies and was 
still  awaiting  a  response  for  about  half  of  these  cases199.  Both  the  Parliament  and  the 
Government have seen delays on the follow up to the Ombudsperson’s recommendations200.  

Civil  society  organisations  operate  overall  in  an  enabling  environment,  but  challenges 
remain to ensure sustainable civil  society engagement in policymaking.  While the civic 
space has been rated as “narrowed”201, civil society is recognised by the state institutions as a 
key  component  of  the  democratic  system202,  and  a  Strategy  for  Cooperation  with  and 
Development  of  the  Civil  Society  and  its  accompanying  Action  Plan  for  2022-2024  were 
adopted to strengthen the sector and to provide means to support Civil Society organisations’ 
(CSOs)  involvement  in  policy  making.  However,  shortcomings  remain  with  regard  to  their   

193  Council of Europe (2024), Supervision of the execution of judgments and decisions of the European Court of 

Human Rights – 17th Annual Report of the Committee of Ministers – 2023, p. 138.   

194  Data according to the online database of the Council of Europe (HUDOC). 
195  The  Ombudsperson  mandate  encompasses  the  National  Preventive  Mechanism,  Civil  Control  Mechanism, 
National Rapporteur on human trafficking and illegal migration, and Mechanism for monitoring the United 
Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities implementation. Official Gazette no. 52/1991 
(and later amendments) and Official Gazette no. 60/2003, from 10/09/2003. 

196  Information  received  from  the  Ombudsperson’s  Office  in  the  context  of  the  country  visit  to  North 
Macedonia.  See  also  Annual  Report  Ombudsperson  Office  (2023).  2023  Communication  on  EU 
Enlargement policy, North Macedonia Report. P. 35. 

197  Following  a  protracted  procedure  by  the  Parliament  to  appoint  five  Deputy  Ombudspersons,  the 
Ombudsman  withdrew  the  names  proposed  and  a  new  vacancy  was  published  in  May  2023.  The 
appointments remained pending, and the procedure was suspended during the 2024 elections period. 

198  Information  received  from  the  Ombudsperson’s  Office  in  the  context  of  the  country  visit  to  North 

Macedonia.  

199  In 2022, the Office dealt with 3 482 complaints of which 3 209 had been received in 2022 and 273 had been 
rolled  over  from  the  previous  year.  Based  on  these,  the  Office  initiated  2 173 procedures. Violations  were 
confirmed in 683 cases (31.43% of all cases). Amongst the Office’s other activities, it referred 120 cases to 
higher instances (17.57% of the total) and was still waiting for a response in 57 cases (8.35% of the total). 
2023 Communication on EU Enlargement policy, North Macedonia Report. P. 27. 

200  Information  received  from  the  Ombudsperson’s  Office  in  the  context  of  the  country  visit  to  North 
Macedonia.  See  also:  Annual  Report  Ombudsperson  Office  (2023).  The  Ombudsman  Office  provides 
recommendations  in  its  annual  report  to  the  parliament,  which  is  tasked  to  develop  measures  and  submit 
these  to  the  government.  The  government  in  turn  should  provide  bi-yearly  reports  on  the  follow-up. 
However, shortcoming with the implementation for these provisions remain, as only one government report 
was  adopted  so  far.  While  the  Ombudsman  Office  submits  its  report  in  due  time,  the  process  to  adopt 
measures in the parliament is delayed which allows the government to bypass the provisions to provide a 6-
monthly report.  

201  Rating by CIVICUS; on a five-category scale defined as: open, narrowed, obstructed, repressed and closed. 

Civicus (2023), Monitor tracking civic space- North Macedonia.  

202  Government  of  North  Macedonia  (2022),  Strategy  of  cooperation  with  and  development  of  civil  society 

2022-2024. 

23 

 
 
implementation. The Council for Cooperation between the Government and Civil Society203, 
which  is  the  primary  structural  channel  for  consulting  and  involving  civil  society  in  policy 
dialogue  and  decision-making204,    met  four  times  in  2022,  but  its  composition  is  still 
incomplete,  as  CSOs  have  been  boycotting  the  Council’s  work  since  March  2022205.  Their 
refusal  to  participate  stems  from  the  government  decision  to  transfer  competence  over 
allocation of funds for CSOs from the General Secretariat to the Ministry of Political System 
and Relations among the Communities, which meant a reduction of funding to CSOs that fall 
outside  the  mandate  of  this  Ministry.  CSOs  criticise  the  lack  of  transparency  in  the 
Government’s  decision  and  consider  that  it  is  not  in  line  with  the  strategy’s  objective  to 
increase  the  support  and  provide  clear  and  objective  mechanism  to  award  public  funds  to 
CSOs206. 

203  Council for Cooperation is an advisory body of the Government for improving the cooperation, dialogue and 
encouraging the development of civil society which includes 31 members: 15 civil servants 21 and 16 CSO 
representatives which are nominated through an election by CSOs. 

204  Participation  of  CSOs  in  the  policy-making  process  is  provided  for  in  the  Rules  of  Procedure  of  the 
Government (Article 68 and Article 68-a), in the Code of good practices for participation of CSOs in policy-
development process, in the Methodology for regulatory impact assessment and in Guidelines for ministries 
implementing the regulatory impact assessment. 

205  European  Civic  Forum  (2024),  Civic  Space  Report  2024  –  Western  Balkans  (Balkan  Civil  Society 

Development Network), pp. 342-343. 

206  Ibidem. Information received from civil society in the context of the country visit to North Macedonia.  

24 

 
 
Annex I: List of sources in alphabetical order* 

* The list of contributions received in the context of the consultation for the 2024 Rule of Law report 
can 
https://commission.europa.eu/publications/2024-rule-law-report-targeted-
stakeholder-consultation_en. 

found 

be 

at 

Association  of  Journalists  of  Macedonia  (2023),  Media  freedom  in  North  Macedonia:  Fragile 
progress…, 
https://ipi.media/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/EN-Fact-Finding-PFM-Report-251023-
web-1.pdf. 

Association  of  Journalists  of  Macedonia  (2023),  How  to  ensure  more  effective  protection  from 
strategic 
https://znm.org.mk/wp-
content/uploads/2024/02/ENG_Analiza-SLAPP-02-12-1.pdf. 

participation 

(SLAPPS)?, 

lawsuits 

against 

public 

Association  of  Judges  (2024),  Press  release  07.03.2024,  Press  release,  Initiative  for  assessment  of 
constitutionality  and  legality  (ИНИЦИЈАТИВА  ЗА  ОЦЕНУВАЊЕ  НА  УСТАВНОСТА  И 
ЗАКОНИТОСТА), Здружение на судии на Македонија (mja.org.mk) . 

Balkan  Insight  (2023),  Party  games?  In  North  Macedonia,  judges’  promotions  depend  on 
‘connections’, 
https://balkaninsight.com/2023/07/05/party-games-in-north-macedonia-judges-
promotions-depend-on-connections/.  

Centre for Media Pluralism and Freedom (2024), Media Pluralism Monitor, Country report for North 
Macedonia. 

CEPEJ  (2023),  Towards  a  better  evaluation  of  the  results  of  judicial  reform  efforts  in  the  Western 
Balkans 
2022, 
https://www.coe.int/en/web/cepej/towards-a-better-evaluation-of-the-results-of-judicial-reforms-in-
the-western-balkans-dashboard-western-balkans-.   

“Dashboard 

Balkans”, 

collection 

Western 

data 

CEPEJ (2008), Checklist for promoting the quality of justice and the courts adopted by the CEPEJ at 
its 11th plenary meeting (Strasbourg, 2-3 July 2008). 

Citizen Association Institute for Human Rights, Skopje (2023), Monitoring report on the work of the 
Judicial Council January-July 2023, EN_Izveshtaj_Sudski-Sovet_Jan-Juli-2023.pdf (ihr.org.mk).   

Citizen Association Institute for Human Rights, Skopje (2023), Monitoring report on the work of the 
  EН-Извештај_Судски-Совет_авг-дек-2023.pdf 
Judicial  Council  August-December  2023, 
(ihr.org.mk). 

Civicus 
tracking 
https://monitor.civicus.org/country/macedonia/.  

Monitor 

(2023), 

civic 

space,- 

North 

Macedonia, 

Coalition of citizens' associations ‘All for a fair trial’ – Skopje (2024), Report from the Monitoring of 
the  Judicial  Council  and  the  Council  of  Public  Prosecutors  in  the  year  2023  (Извештај  од 
мониторингот  на  Судскиот  совет  и  Советот  на  јавни  обвинители  во  2023  година), 
https://all4fairtrials.org.mk/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/63-MISo-2023.pdf.   

Council of Europe (2023), Press release 05.12.2023,  The Council of Europe supports whistleblower 
protection  reform  in  North  Macedonia,  https://www.coe.int/en/web/corruption/-/support-to-the-
reform-of-the-north-macedonia-s-whistleblower-protection-legislation-kicks-off-with-a-workshop-in-
skopje.  

Council  of  Europe:  Committee  of  Ministers  (2010),  Recommendation  CM/Rec(2010)12  of  the 
Committee of Ministers to member States on judges: independence, efficiency and responsibilities. 

Council  of  Europe:  Committee  of  Ministers  (2024),  Supervision  of  the  execution  of  judgments  and 
decisions  of  the  European  Court  of  Human  Rights  –  17th  Annual  Report  of  the  Committee  of 
Ministers – 2023.  

25 

 
Council of Europe: Venice Commission (2018), North Macedonia – “The former Yugoslav Republic 
of  Macedonia”  opinion  on  the  law  amending  the  Law  on  the  Judicial  Council  and  on  the  law 
amending the Law on Courts (CDL-AD(2018)022). 

Council  of  Europe:  Venice  Commission  (2018),  “The  former  Yugoslav  Republic  of  Macedonia” 
opinion on the draft law amending the Law on Courts (CDL-AD(2018)033).  

Council of Europe: Venice Commission (2019), North Macedonia – Opinion on the draft law on the 
Judicial Council (CDL-AD(2019)008). 
EEAS (2024), Press release 27.04.2023, 18th meeting of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement 
subcommittee 
Security, 
https://www.eeas.europa.eu/delegations/north-macedonia/18th-meeting-stabilisation-and-association-
agreement-subcommittee-north-macedonia-justice-freedom_en.  

North  Macedonia 

Freedom 

Justice, 

with 

and 

on 

European Network of Councils for the Judiciary (ENCJ) (2012), Dublin Declaration on standards for 
the recruitment and appointment of member of the judiciary. 

European  Civic  Forum  (2024),  Civic  Space  Report  2024  –  Western  Balkans  (Balkan  Civil  Society 
https://civic-forum.eu/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Civic-Space-Report-
Development  Network), 
2024_ECF.pdf.  

European Commission (2015), The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia: Recommendations of the 
Senior  Experts’  Group  on  systemic  Rule  of  Law  issues  relating  to  the  communications  interception 
revealed in Spring 2015. 

European  Commission  (2015),  Urgent  Reform  Priorities  for  the  Former  Yugoslav  Republic  of 
Macedonia. 

European  Commission  (2017),  The  former  Yugoslav  Republic  of  Macedonia:  Assessments  and 
recommendations of the Senior Experts’ Group in systemic Rule of Law issues 2017. 

European Commission (2023), Screening report – North Macedonia, Cluster 1 – Fundamentals. 

European  Commission  (2023),  2023  Communication  on  EU  Enlargement  policy,  North  Macedonia 
Report. 

European Court of Human Rights (2010), Judgement of the European Court of Human Rights of 28 
October 2010, Vasilkoski and Others v. the former Yugolav Republic of Macedonia group of cases, 
VASILKOSKI  AND  OTHERS  v.  "THE  FORMER  YUGOSLAV  REPUBLIC  OF  MACEDONIA" 
(coe.int). 

Freedom  House 
https://freedomhouse.org/country/north-macedonia/nations-transit/2024 

(2024),  Nations 

in  Transit  2024,  Country  Report  North  Macedonia. 

Government  of  North  Macedonia  (2022),  Strategy  of  cooperation  with  and  development  of  civil 
society  2022-2024  (Стратегија  за  соработка  и  развој  на  граѓанското  општество  2022-2024 
година). 

Government of North Macedonia (2024), Input for the 2024 Rule of Law Report.  

Government of North Macedonia (2024), Written contribution received in the context of the country 
visit.  

GRECO  (2024),  Fourth  Evaluation  Round  –  Corruption  prevention  in  respect  of  members  of 
parliament,  judges  and  prosecutors,  Second  Addendum  to  the  Second  Compliance  Report 
https://rm.coe.int/fourth-evaluation-round-corruption-prevention-in-respect-of-members-
of/1680aec93a. 

GRECO (2023), Fifth Evaluation Round – Preventing corruption and promoting integrity in central 
governments  (top  executive  functions)  and  law  enforcement  agencies,  Second  Compliance  Report, 
https://rm.coe.int/fifth-evaluation-round-second-compliance-report-north-macedonia-/1680acf53f .  

26 

 
Judicial  Council  of  North  Macedonia  (2024),  Action  Plan  for  the  implementing  the  EU 
recommendations  addressed  to  the  Judicial  Council  (АКЦИСКИ  ПЛАН  за  спроведување  на 
препораките  на  Европската  Унија  упатени  до  Судски  п  совет  на  Република  Северна 
Македонија),   

Judicial  Council  of  North  Macedonia  (2024),  Annual  Report  on  the  work  of  the  Judicial  Council 
(Годишен  извештај  за  работата  на  Судскиот  совет  на  Република  Северна Македонија  за  2023 
годинаu), Судскиот совет на Република Македонија, согласно со член 64 од Законот за Судски 
совет, на седницата одржана на ----------годи (sud.mk).  

Judicial  Council  (2024).  Communication  strategy  of  the  Judicial  Council  and  the  courts  of  the 
Republic  of  North  Macedonia  (2024-2028),  (Комуникациска  стратегија  на  Судскиот  совет  и 
судовите на Република Северна Македонија (2024-2028), Подзаконски акти (vsrm.mk) 

(СТРАТЕГИЈА  НА  ЧОВЕЧКИ 

Judicial Council of North Macedonia (2020), Human Resources Management Strategy for the Judicial 
Network 
ЗА  СУДСКАТА  МРЕЖА), 
http://www.sud.mk/wps/wcm/connect/ssrm/2e461c73-9f74-4744-99d3-
945227a80b7c/Konecen+narativen+del+Strategija+za+covecki+resursi+sud+mreza-+za+objava-
+3.pdf?MOD=AJPERES.  

РЕСУРСИ 

Judicial  Council  of  North  Macedonia 
(Соопштение), Соопштение (osvinica.mk).  

(2024),  Press 

release  06.03.2024,  Announcement 

Media  Freedom  Rapid  Response  (2023),  Judge  recommends  closing  the  investigative  media  outlet 
Investigative Reporting Laboratory (IRL), https://www.mapmf.org/alert/30987. 

Media  Freedom  Rapid  Response  (2023),  Judge  Jovanka  Spirovska  Paneva  rules  against  IRL  in 
defamation case, https://www.mapmf.org/alert/30782. 

Media Freedom Rapid Response (2024), Monitor, https://www.mfrr.eu/monitor/ 

Ministry  of  Justice  of  North  Macedonia  (2023),  The  new  Development  Sector  Strategy  for  the 
Judiciary  2024-2028  (Министерство  за  правда,  РАЗВОЈНА  СЕКТОРСКА  СТРАТЕГИЈА  ЗА 
ПРАВОСУДСТВО (2024-2028), Предлог Развојна Секторска Стратегија за Правосудство 2024 - 
2027.pdf (pravda.gov.mk). 

Ministry of Justice of North Macedonia (2024), Press release 26.03.2024, The Government, at today’s 
session,  made  a  decision  to  establish  a  Council  to  monitor  the  implementation  of  the  Development 
sectoral  Strategyfor  Justicvce  (2024-2028)  (Владата  на  денешната  седница  донесе  одлука  за 
формирање  на  Совет  за  следење  на  имплементацијата  на  Развојната  Секторска  Стратегија  за 
правосудство (2024 – 2028), https://www.pravda.gov.mk/vest/6691.  

Ministry  of  Justice  of  North  Macedonia  (2024),  Press  release  11.06.2024,  Implementation  of  the 
recommendations  of  the  Evaluation  Mission  for  the  Judicial  Council  (Имплементирање  на 
препоракатите од Оценската мисија за Судскиот совет), pravda.gov.mk/vest/6704. 

Ombusperson Office (2023), Annual report on the level of ensuring respect, promotion, improvement 
and  protection  of  human  rights  and  freedoms  2023  (Годишен  извештај  за  степенот  на 
обезбедувањето почитување, унапредување и заштита на човековите слободи и права). 

OSCE  Mission  to  Skopje  (2023),  Corruption  risk  assessment  of  the  judiciary  in  North  Macedonia, 
https://www.osce.org/mission-to-skopje/545929.  

OSCE  (2024),  International  election  observation  mission  –  Republic  of  North  Macedonia  – 
Presidential Election, 24 April 2024. Statement of preliminary findings and conclusions. 

OSCE/ODHIR  Election  Observation  Mission  (2024), 
-  Presidential  and 
Parliamentary  Elections,  24  April  and  8  May  2024,  https://www.osce.org/odihr/elections/north-
macedonia/566401 

Interim  Report 

27 

 
Prizma  (2024),  Media  reform:  to  the  right,  around  and  back  (Медиумски  реформи:  На  десно,  во 
круг и назад), https://prizma.mk/mediumski-reformi-na-desno-vo-krug-i-nazad/. 

Prizma  (2024),  Risk  of  misuse  of  election  advertising  money  (Ризик  од  злоупотреба  со  парите  за 
изборни реклами), https://prizma.mk/rizik-od-zloupotreba-od-parite-za-izborni-reklami/.  

Proposed  program  for  the  work  of  the  government  (2024-2028),  published  on  the  website  of  the 
parliament, 
https://www.sobranie.mk/detali-na-materijal.nspx?param=3ae13141-ac9e-486a-950e-
f603c34dcea4. 

(Програма 

Public Prosecutor of North Macedonia (2024), Work program of the Public Prosecution Office 2024-
2030 
https://jorm.gov.mk/wp-
јавното 
content/uploads/2024/02/programa-za-rabota-na-%D1%98avnoto-obvinitelstvo-za-period-od-2024-
do-2030-godina.pdf. 

обвинителство), 

работата  на 

за 

Public  Prosecutor’s  Office  (2020),  Human  Resources  Strategy  for  the  Public  Prosecution  Network 
(СТРАТЕГИЈА  НА  ЧОВЕЧКИ  РЕСУРСИ  ЗА  ЈАВНООБВИНИТЕЛСКАТА  МРЕЖА), 
https://jorm.gov.mk/strategi%d1%98a-na-chovechki-resursi-za-%d1%98avnoobvinitelskata-
mrezha/.Register  of  lobbyists  and  organizations,  ДКСК-Регистар  на  лобисти  и  организации 
(dksk.mk). 

Reporters  without  borders  (2024),  Map  –  2024  world  press  freedom  index,  https://rsf.org/en/map-
2024-world-press-freedom-index.  

Safejournalists.net  (2023),  North  Macedonia:  Indicators  for  the  degree  of  media  freedom  and 
journalists safety in 2022, https://safejournalists.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/MK-ENG-2022.pdf.  

Safety  of  journalist  platform  (2024),  PortaliX  founder  Furkan  Saliu  detained  after  attempting  to 
record  police  violence,  Platform  to  promote  the  protection  of  journalism  and  safety  of  journalists 
(coe.int). 

State Commission for Prevention of Corruption (SCPC)(2022), Annual report on the implementation 
of the 2021-2025 National Strategy for prevention of corruption and conflict of interest for the period 
from 
01.01.2021-31.12.2021,https://dksk.mk/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Annual-report-on-
implementation-of-2021-2025-National-strategy-on-prevention-of-corruption-and-conflict-of-
interest.pdf.  

State  Commission  for  Prevention  of  Corruption (SCPC)  (2020),  National  strategy  for  prevention of 
corruption and conflict of interest (2021-2025), https://dksk.mk/mk/national-strategy-for-prevention-
of-corruption-and-conflict-of-interest-2021-2025/. 

Supreme  Court  of  North  Macedonia  news  (2023),  Press  release  06.11.2023,  Announcement  ( 
Соопштение), Соопштение (vsrm.mk). 

Transparency 
https://transparency.mk/en/blog/. 

International  Macedonia 

(2024),  Monthly 

Corruption 

Barometer. 

Transparency  International  Macedonia  (2023),  National  integrity  system  assessment  North 
Macedonia, 
https://transparency.mk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/national-integrity-system-
assessment-2023.pdf.  

Transparency 
https://www.transparency.org/en/cpi/2023.  

International 

(2024), 

Corruption 

perceptions 

Index 

2023, 

VOA  News  (2024),  Press  release  17.01.2024,  North  Macedonia:  There  is  no  dismissal  of  the 
President of the Supreme Court (Северна Македонија: Нема разрешување на претседателката на 
Врховниот суд), https://mk.voanews.com/a/7443706.html.  

28 

 
Annex II: Country visit to North Macedonia 
The Commission services held hybrid and virtual meetings in March 2024 with: 

•  Academy for Judges and Prosecutors 
•  Administrative Court 
•  Agency for Audio and Audiovisual Media Services 
•  Agency for the Protection of Free Access to Public Information 
•  All for Fair Trials 
•  Association of Journalists  
•  Association of Judges  
•  Association of on-line media; RESIS Institute  
•  Association of Prosecutors 
•  Bar Association  
•  Center for Civil Communication  
•  Center for Legal Research and Analysis / Центар за правни истражувања и анализи  
•  Constitutional Court 
•  Council of Media Ethics  
•  Council of Public Prosecutors 
•  EUROJUST liaison prosecutor  
•  European Policy Institute 
•  German Foundation for International Legal Cooperation e.V. (IRZ) 
• 
Independent Trade Union of Journalists and Media Workers;  
• 
Institute for Democracy “Societas Civilis”  
• 
Institute for Human Rights 
•  Judicial Council 
•  Judicial Media Council 
•  Meeting with the experts of the “EU Support for Rule of Law” IPA Project 
•  Ministry of Interior 
•  Ministry of Interior, Department of Cybercrime and Digital Forensics 
•  Ministry of Justice 
•  Ombudsperson Office  
•  OSCE Mission to North Macedonia 
•  Parliament (Legislative Commission & Legislative Unit) 
•  Public Prosecution Office – Prosecutor who monitors the proceedings in response to 

attacks on journalists  

•  Public Prosecutor’s Offices (PPOs) 
•  Public  Prosecutor's  Office  for  Prosecuting  Organised  Crime  and  Corruption 

(OCCPPO) 

•  Public Service Broadcaster (MRTV)  
•  State Audit Office  
•  State Commission for Prevention of Corruption (SCPC)  
•  Supreme Court  
•  Transparency International – Macedonia  

29