Documents: Judiciary - Independence

This brief summarises the key developments about the rule of law in view of EU accession in North Macedonia from April to June 2023. It includes monitoring the fundamentals of EU accession, including key developments in the functioning of democratic institutions, public administration reform and chapter 23: judiciary and fundamental rights.

This brief summarises the key developments about the rule of law in view of EU accession in North Macedonia from January to March 2023. It includes monitoring the fundamentals of EU accession, including key developments in the functioning of democratic institutions, public administration reform and chapter 23: judiciary and fundamental rights.

This brief summarises the key developments in relation to rule of law in view of EU accession in North Macedonia for the period October – December 2022. It includes monitoring the fundamentals of EU accession, including key developments in the functioning of democratic institutions, public administration reform, and Chapter 23: judiciary and fundamental rights.

The rule of law principle is one of the core values comprising the foundations of the European Union. It entails that all public powers act within the boundaries set by the law, in accordance with the values of democracy and respect for fundamental rights. While candidate countries must comply with this principle and adapt the functioning of their institutions accordingly, member states of the EU are also not exempt from this obligation, or the consequences arising from non-compliance.

Article 49 TEU lays out the requirement for new members states: respect and promotion of EU values. Article 2 TEU/Article 19 TEU/Article 67 TFEU recognize that while states have different legal systems, they must respect common rule of law standards for assuring effective legal protection (effective remedy/fair trial). This right is entailed in Article 47 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights and Articles 6 and 13 of the European Convention on Human rights.

This brief summarises the key developments in relation to the rule of law in view of EU accession in North Macedonia for the period of July– September 2022. It includes monitoring the fundamentals of EU accession, including key developments in the functioning of democratic institutions, public administration reform, and chapter 23: judiciary and fundamental rights.

This brief summarises the key developments in relation to rule of law in view of EU accession in North Macedonia for the period April – June 2022. It includes the monitoring of the fundamentals of EU accession, including key developments in the functioning of democratic institutions, public administration reform and chapter 23: judiciary and fundamental rights.

This brief summarises the key developments in relation to rule of law in view of EU accession in North Macedonia for the period January – March 2022. It includes the monitoring of the fundamentals of EU accession, including key developments in the functioning of democratic institutions, public administration reform and chapter 23: Judiciary and Fundamental rights. The brief is based on regular monitoring of the key institutions, desk review of available information as well as requests for free access to public information.

The number of detained persons in 2021 (388) is continuously increasing compared to the previous years (2020 – 317, 2019 – 225). There is a slight decrease in the number of detained children in 2021 (55) compared to the same period in 2020 (76). The average period that children spent in detention in RTC Vinojug is 29 days and the maximum is 50 days. In most cases, legal guardian was appointed to the unaccompanied detained children. However sometimes there was a delay in the timely appointment of a guardian. In 2021 the persons were detained at three locations in RC Gazi Baba, RTC Vinojug and RTC Tabanovce. Migrants at RTC Vinojug who were detained as witnesses in the proceedings against the smugglers continued to be held in quarantine before being brought in front of a public prosecutor.