COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT 2025 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 2025 Rule of Law Report The rule of law situation in the European Union

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EUROPEAN
COMMISSION
Strasbourg, 8.7.2025
SWD(2025) 930 final
COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT
2025 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
2025 Rule of Law Report
The rule of law situation in the European Union
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ABSTRACT
North Macedonia continued implementing its judicial reform. Interference and pressure from
other State branches raise serious concerns about judicial independence. The dismissal
procedure launched against the Chief Prosecutor exposed shortcomings in the rules for the
dismissal and a risk of politicisation. Measures were taken across the judiciary to enhance
transparency, while some concerns remain regarding appointment decisions. Legislative
drafting processes are ongoing regarding the independence of the judiciary and the autonomy
of the public prosecution service. The limited financial resources allocated to the judiciary
continue to affect its financial autonomy. While the lack of human resources was partly
mitigated by new recruitments, shortages of staff remain a concern. Efforts to further improve
the digital tools for case management and court statistics continue, but challenges remain,
such as with outdated infrastructure. The efficiency of the judiciary has overall declined as
the length of proceedings increased for almost all case categories.
Implementation of the national anti-corruption strategy continues to be insufficient overall.
Despite recent efforts in investigating and prosecuting corruption, delays in court proceedings
and resource constraints continue to hinder the establishment of a robust track record of high-
level corruption cases. The 2023 amendments to the Criminal Code continue to significantly
undermine efforts to combat corruption, particularly affecting the prosecution of high-level
corruption cases. The State Commission for Prevention of Corruption continues to focus on
prevention and institutional cooperation but is less active in detecting and reporting alleged
instances of corruption. Concerns remain regarding the effective verification of asset
declarations. Effective oversight of political party financing continues to be hampered by an
inadequate legislative framework and a lack of resources and expertise. Whistleblower
protection remains weak, discouraging individuals from reporting corruption. Corruption
risks are high, in particular in the healthcare and public procurement areas, while the impact
of political influence on efforts to address corruption is highlighted as a concern.
The financial independence of the Agency for Audio and Audiovisual Media Services has
been improved. Appointments of new members to its Council are still pending. The self-
regulatory Council of Media Ethics continues its activities despite concerns about securing
long-term sustainable funding. The Public Service Broadcaster faces challenges despite
improvements in its funding. Challenges remain concerning transparency of media
ownership. The reintroduction of state-funded advertising has drawn criticism from media
experts and civil society organisations. While the legal framework for access to public
information is in place, its inconsistent implementation can pose challenges to the effective
exercise of this right. Despite some progress in strengthening the legal protection for
journalists, their working environment has not improved.
The Parliament is implementing the new Rules of Procedure, which were adopted with the
aim of improving its oversight and efficiency. Challenges remain regarding parliamentary
appointments which raise concerns about merit-based selections. Shortcomings remain in
implementing processes for inclusive and evidence-based policymaking. The new
Constitutional Court Act entered into force, strengthening its role in the monitoring and
enforcement of its decisions. Financial and human resource constraints continue to affect the
functioning of the Ombudsperson’s Office and of the Commission for Prevention and
Protection Against Discrimination. The Government initiated measures to enhance
cooperation with civil society, while civil society raised challenges, including online hate
speech.
2
I. JUSTICE SYSTEM1
Independence
The level of perceived judicial independence in North Macedonia continues to be very
low among both the general public and companies. Overall, 28% of the general population
and 26% of companies perceive the level of independence of courts and judges to be ‘fairly
or very good’ in 20252
. The perceived judicial independence remains low but has increased in
comparison with 2024 both among the general public (25% in 2024) and companies (20% in
2024). The main reasons cited by the general public for the perceived lack of independence of
courts and judges are the perception of interference or pressure from the Government and
politicians as well as, cited by both the general public and companies, the interference or
pressure from economic or other specific interests3
.
North Macedonia continued implementing the Strategy for Judicial Reform 2024-2028,
although challenges remain. The implementation rate of activities planned in 2024 stands at
42.9%4
. Key challenges to the implementation were insufficient interinstitutional
coordination and cooperation, as well as lack of funding and human resources. The budget
planned for 2025 does not provide for the funds necessary to implement the envisaged
measures. A Council for Monitoring the Implementation of the Strategy was established in
May 2024, but did not meet in 20245
, which called into question the proper monitoring and
coordination among involved institutions. In 2025, the Council was restructured in an effort
to improve its functioning, including to ensure regular meetings and coordination for the
implementation of the Justice Sector Strategies6
. The Council has not yet met in its new
composition.
Interference and pressure from other State branches raise serious concerns about the
respect for judicial independence. Initiatives presented by the Government as aiming to
tackle corruption have largely focused on taking ‘robust action’ against the judiciary, which
in some instances raised serious concerns regarding the respect for the independence of the
judiciary and the principle of separation of powers. This is particularly the case as regards
announcements from the highest Government level about plans to ‘dissolve’ the Judicial
Council and the Council of Prosecutors. Following public statements from Government
officials repeatedly calling for the dismissal of the members of the Judicial Council, in March
2025, the Parliament voted on ‘interpellation motions’7
against the five non-magistrate
1
An overview of the institutional framework for all four pillars can be found here.
2
Flash Eurobarometers 554 and 555 (2025). 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%).
3
Flash Eurobarometers 554 and 555 (2025); Flash Eurobarometers 540 and 541 (2024).
4
Ministry of Justice (2024a). Of the 152 planned activities for 2024, 24 have been fully implemented,
implementation of 69 is ongoing, and 57 have not yet been started.
5
Government of North Macedonia (2025), pp. 1. The Ministry of Justice has prepared in June an annual
report for the implementation of the Action Plan of the Justice System Development Strategy (2024-2028).
A semi-annual report for the implementation of the Action Plan of the Justice System Development
Strategy (2024-2028) will be also prepared and published in July 2025.
6
Ibidem.
7
Interpellations are inquiries into the work of public official by the Parliament. According to the
Parliament’s Rule of Procedures, interpellations can be raised ‘for the work of any public official” (Art. 45).
If the motion is adopted, the parliament can adopt a conclusion on the contents of the interpellation.
3
members of the Judicial Council, which are elected by the Parliament8
. While these motions
do not provide the legal grounds for dismissing the Judicial Council members, they amount to
de facto political no confidence votes9
, and as such risk undermining the legitimacy and
independence of the Council members. The reasons cited for the interpellations in the
parliament were unprofessional performance of duties that eroded the already low public trust
in the judiciary. In addition, Government officials publicly called that these votes should lead
to the resignation of the Council members. The use of the interpellation motions was
criticised by stakeholders10
. Judges and prosecutors are also facing increased pressure from
public smear campaigns, online and in the media, including by high officials of the executive
and politicians11
. The President of the Judicial Council resigned in December 2024, citing
undue political pressure as a reason, while continuing to serve as a Council member12
. A
week later, the premises of the Judicial Council were searched by the police, following a
notification by the Ministry of the Interior13
. A new President of the Judicial Council was
unanimously elected by its members in January 202514
. Moreover, in an effort to address
wider concerns of undue influence in the judiciary, the Supreme Court, in collaboration with
civil society organisations, is developing a project to internally report allegations of undue
interference, since the existing avenues are deemed ineffective15
.
The dismissal procedure launched against the Chief Prosecutor exposed shortcomings
in the rules for the dismissal and its risk of politicisation. In March 2025, the Government
initiated a dismissal procedure against the Chief Prosecutor, invoking, among others, that the
Chief Prosecutor harmed the reputation of the judiciary16
. The current grounds for a serious
disciplinary violation, which can lead to the dismissal of the Chief Prosecutor,17
include
broad definitions, such as ‘improper behaviour that damage the reputation of the public
prosecution office’, which leave room for legal uncertainty and politicisation of the dismissal
8
In December 2024, the Parliament had not approved the Judicial Council’s 2023 annual report which
provides a legal basis to initiate a debate in the bodies which elected members of the Judicial Council about
an assessment of their respective work (Parliament of the Republic of North Macedonia (2024, 2025)).
9
According to the Law on the Judicial Council, the term of a Judicial Council member can only be
terminated by the Judicial Council themselves based on conditions defined in the law. Nevertheless, the
interpellations reasoned that the Council members had failed to perform their duties adequately, and
members of parliament called for their resignation (Parliament of the Republic of North Macedonia (2025)).
10
European Parliament (2025), §5: “Urges the authorities of North Macedonia to refrain from opaque,
politicised dismissals from, and appointments to, positions within independent bodies and agencies, as well
as to ensure that the organisations are adequately funded, and that decisions and recommendations are
implemented consistently”. Country Visit North Macedonia (2025), Judicial Council, Coalition All for Fair
Trials, IPA II Project “EU Support for Rule of Law”, European Policy Institute Skopje (2024); Citizen
Association Institute for Human Rights (2024), mia.mk (2025a).
11
Country visit North Macedonia, Associations for judges and prosecutors.
12
Judicial Council (2024a).
13
The Skopje Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office explained that the search was conducted in relation to a
notification from the Interior Ministry that ordered to secure the minutes of a Council Session that discussed
the term limit of the former Council President. European Policy Institute Skopje (2025).
14
Judicial Council (2025c).
15
Government of North Macedonia (2025a), p. 12.
16
The Government claimed that the Chief prosecutor reportedly proposed in the Council of Public
Prosecutors an unlawful nomination to a higher prosecution office, exercised undue pressure upon the lower
prosecution services, and that the country’s drop in the Transparency International corruption perception
index was imputable to the alleged poor performances of the Chief Prosecutor. North Macedonia was
ranked 88th
in 2024, losing two positions from the 2023 index (Transparency International, 2024). 24.mk
(2025); Balkan EU (2025)
17
Law on the Public Prosecutor’s Office (2020), Articles 88 and 91.
4
of the Chief Prosecutor18
. On 26 March 2025, the Government announced that it would halt
the dismissal procedure, noting the importance to ensure the continuation of the prosecutors’
work in the aftermath of the 16 March fire in a nightclub in Kochani19
. In April, the Council
of Public Prosecutors provided a negative opinion, not supporting the dismissal proposal20
.
Measures were taken across the judiciary to enhance transparency, while some
concerns remain regarding judicial and prosecutorial appointment decisions. New
systems to register audio and video recordings of court hearings were introduced, thereby
replacing obsolete technology and improving transparency21
. In September 2024, the
Supreme Court revised its Rules of Procedure22
, allowing public access and media presence
to general sessions. The Supreme Court and Judicial-Media Council23
issued joint
recommendations to ensure reporting on court cases of public interest, in an effort to improve
transparency and public trust24
. Almost all acts adopted by the Judicial Council and the
Council of Public Prosecutors25
are made publicly available on their websites, and the
sessions are public. Judicial Council sessions are broadcast26
, whereas Council of Public
Prosecutors’ sessions allow journalists and CSOs to attend, without broadcasting27
. The
Judicial Council made progress addressing the recommendations from the 2023 Peer Review
Mission within its competences28
, notably to strengthen merit-based appointments and
promotions, and to enhance transparency29
. As of September 2024, the Judicial Council has
been implementing its new rules of procedures requiring provision of both oral and written
explanations for the selection or non-selection of judges30
. However, transparency is still
implemented inconsistently, as the reasoning is often insufficiently substantiated31
. For the
Council of Public Prosecutors, no similar transparency rules are in place and the decision-
18
Article 88, Law on Public Prosecution. European standards call for clarity on the conditions for the pre-term
dismissal of the Prosecutor General, including an ex-ante opinion of an expert body as to whether there are
sufficient grounds for dismissal, and a fair hearing of the Prosecutor General in dismissal proceedings.
Venice Commission (2010), paras. 39-40.
19
The Government noted that no matter the opinion of the Council of Public Prosecutors, the Government
would not proceed to send it for a vote in Parliament. 4News.mk (2025), mia.mk (2025b).
20
The procedure prescribes that the Council of Public Prosecutors provides a non-binding opinion on the
dismissal request from the government, before it can be submitted for a vote to the Parliament. Council of
Public Prosecutors (2025b).
21
Judicial Council (2024b).
22
Official Gazette No.199/24.
23
The Judicial-Media Council was established by the Association of Judges and brings together judges and
journalists to enhance transparency and tackle misinformation by providing guidance and standards for
reporting on court cases of public interest.
24
Supreme Court of the Republic of North Macedonia (2024a). In one case, a judge from the Basic Court in
Bitola failed to comply, prompting an ongoing legal review by the Supreme Court. European Policy
Institute (2025).
25
The Council of Public Prosecutors (CPP) has a new, more accessible website.
26
In line with its Communication Strategy (2024-2028), see Judicial Council (2024c).
27
Country Visit North Macedonia, IPA II Project “EU Support for Rule of Law”.
28
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. The
Judicial Council has implemented 7 out of 17 recommendations that do not require constitutional or
legislative amendments.
29
Citizen Association Institute for Human Rights (2024).
30
Country visit North Macedonia, Institute for Human Rights.
31
Country visit North Macedonia, IPA II Project “EU Support for Rule of Law”, Coalition All for Fair Trials,
European Policy Institute.
5
making is generally less transparent, despite some recent improvements32
. In addition,
stakeholders remain concerned about the lack of a merit-based selection process33
. In October
2024, the selection process for the new Director of the Academy for Judges was also
criticised for the lack of a clear legal procedure34
.
Legislative drafting processes are ongoing regarding the independence of the judiciary
and the autonomy of the public prosecution service. Following the 2023 Peer Review
mission, a process started to implement its recommendations, and a revised draft law of the
Judicial Council has been prepared35
.. The draft law aims to align with European standards,
and among others, strengthen the independence of the judiciary, by clarifying the selection
procedure and qualification requirements for Council members, and provisions concerning
the appointment and disciplinary procedures of judges and Judicial Council members. The
draft law was published for public consultation and sent to the Venice Commission which
adopted an opinion in June, recommending that the grounds for dismissal are clarified 36
. In
parallel, work to amend the Law on Public Prosecution and the Law on the Council of Public
Prosecutors started in November37
. The amendments would aim to implement European
standards and strengthen the autonomy of the prosecution service, including GRECO
recommendations38
, focusing on automatic case distribution, and clarifying oversight and
accountability procedures, as well as disciplinary violations, sanctions, and reinforcing the
Council's role39
.
Quality
Limited financial resources allocated to the judiciary continue to affect its financial
autonomy. The budgets of the judiciary and the public prosecution service remain below the
minimum prescribed in law. For the judicial system, instead of the legally prescribed 0.8% of
GDP40
, the 2025 annual budget allocated 0.31% of GDP. For the Public Prosecutor's Office,
the budget expressed as a percentage of the total budget is 0.22%, instead of the legally
32
Country Visit, North Macedonia, civil society organisations, IPA II Project “EU Support for Rule of Law”.
In March 2025, the Council of Public Prosecutors started providing explanations for its decisions regarding
the election of prosecutors of the 8th
generation graduates of the Academy. Council of Public Prosecutors
(2025d).
33
Country Visit North Macedonia, Coalition All for Fair Trials, IPA II Project “EU Support for Rule of Law”.
34
While the law requires a public vote, no further details for the voting procedure are specified through by-
laws or rulebooks. In the absence of clear internal voting procedures, the Academy’s Managing Board held
a vote by selecting one of more candidates on a ballot. The unsuccessful candidate challenged the
appointment with the Administrative Court. Transparency International Macedonia (2024).
35
IPA II Project “EU Support for Rule of Law” (2025). The consultations covered key recommendations of
the peer review, including the election process for Judicial Council members in the Parliament, disciplinary
liability of Council members, and defining the competent authorities for action and the right to appeal.
36
Venice Commission on the draft Law on Judicial Council (2025a) p. 13.
37
Government of North Macedonia (2025), p. 2. A revised Law on the Council of Public Prosecutors is
intended to align it with the Justice Sector Reform Strategy 2024-2028, including to improve the
transparency of the Council of Public Prosecutors. The draft Law on Public Prosecution was published for
public consultation in April 2025. It will be submitted as well for the opinion of the Venice Commission.
38
GRECO (2024), Recommendation No 16 (2).
39
Regarding amedments to the Law on Public Prosecution, the working group aims to enhance electronic case
allocation mechanisms and clarify the oversight and accountability powers of competent institutions and
public prosecutors, while also addressing the disciplinary framework.
40
2010 Law on the Court Budget; Law on judicial budget, OG No. 60/2003, 37/2006, 103/2008 and
145/2010.
6
envisaged 0.4%41
. The budget allocation declined in 2024 compared to the previous year. The
courts and prosecution offices still need formal approval from the Ministry of Finance for
internal budget allocations, such as resource and staffing decisions, which does not allow
them budgetary autonomy42
. The laws regulating the salaries of judges, public prosecutors,
members of the Judicial Council and the Council of Public Prosecutors were amended in
December, resulting in a remuneration freeze at the level of the previous year43
.
The deficit of human resources in the judiciary was partly addressed by new
recruitments but remains a concern. Staffing levels at the end of 2024 were critically low,
ranging from 20-50% for courts, with similarly low figures in prosecution offices44
. In
February 2025, the Judicial Council and the Council of Public Prosecutors published
vacancies for the graduates of the Academy for Judges and Prosecutors, 50 for judges and 47
for public prosecutors. Following the application processes45
, 49 new judges were elected,
but only 28 public prosecutors. Therefore 19 vacancies as public prosecutor remained
unfilled. Both Councils published a new round of vacancies, de facto competing for
recruiting the unelected candidates46
, and 19 more judges were elected47
. A further
aggravating factor is that currently no training of new judges and prosecutors takes place. The
ongoing admission process to the Academy, which was launched more than two years ago
and aims to recruit 130 trainees, remains on hold48
, for reasons which remain unclear49
.
Another challenge is the lack of implementation of the human resource strategies for the
41
Government of North Macedonia (2025a), pp. 14-15.
42
Country visit North Macedonia, Judicial Council, PPO, Association of Judges, Association of Public
Prosecutors. The Government intends to have amendments to the Law on Judicial Budget prepared and
adopted by December 2025. Analysis has been prepared for the judicial and public prosecutor's budgets,
which provide further recommendations and guidelines. Government of North Macedonia (2025), p. 3. That
the Ministry of Finance decides on details of the operational budget of judicial bodies contains dangers of
undue interference in the independent exercise of their functions. Venice Commission (2025b), p. 25, see
also Venice Commission (2012), §§95-98; (1995), p. 3.
43
Official Gazette No. 272/2024. Amendments to the laws regulating the salaries of judges, public
prosecutors, members of the Judicial Council and members of the Council of Public Prosecutors and the
Law on court service have been prepared and submitted in Governmental procedure. Government of North
Macedonia (2025), p.4.
44
Government of North Macedonia (2025a), pp. 9, 17. According to the data for end 2024, the total number
of judicial positions planned for all courts is 539, of which 268 are filled, and 271 remain vacant. In the
Public Prosecutor's Office only 169 out of 261 prosecutor positions are filled and only 360 out of 1 126
administrative staff positions occupied. Furthermore, there are just six IT officers serving the entire country;
Council of Public Prosecutors (2025a).
45
The Judicial Council elects judges. The Council elects a judge of a basic court from the list of candidates,
submitted by the Academy for Judges and Public Prosecutors, that applied on the announcement, following
an interview conducted by Council.
46
Judicial Council (2025b), Council of Public Prosecutors (2025c): On 11 and 12 March 2025, the Judicial
Council and the Council of Public Prosecutors adopted decisions to publish new vacancies, for 35 judges
and 19 public prosecutors respectively. The situation has led to conflicting views, with the Council of
Public Prosecutors opposing the Judicial Council's decision to announce a second vacancy.
47
Judicial Council (2025a).
48
The ongoing intake process had been launched in January 2023 and was initially delayed due to technical
and procurement issues, then postponed for the election period in 2024. The Ministry of Finance informed
the Managing Board of the Academy that no funds were secured in the 2025 state budget for recruiting 130
candidates. See public statement of the Managing Board of the Academy of Judges and Public Prosecutors
(2025). The Academy is awaiting a government decision to proceed with the intake process. Given that no
recruitment is ongoing, there will be a gap of several years before new graduates of the Academy become
judges and prosecutors.
49
Justice, Freedom and Security Subcommittee with North Macedonia (2025). Country Visit North
Macedonia, IPA II Project “EU Support for Rule of Law”, Academy for Judges and Prosecutors.
7
Courts and the Public Prosecutor’s Office, which were adopted in 2020. The specified targets
and timelines under the strategies’ action plans have not been achieved50
. Elections to higher
courts were also delayed, including judges to the Supreme Court, where only 14 out of 26
positions are filled51
. A new president of the Supreme Court was elected in May. In February
2025, the Law on Labour Relations was amended enabling judges and prosecutors to opt to
serve beyond the retirement age of 64, which may contribute to reducing the deficit in human
resources in the judiciary to a certain extent52
. Regarding judicial training, the Academy
continued to strengthen its curricula for basic and continuous training, while also struggling
with insufficient staffing, inadequate technical equipment, and unsuitable premises.
Efforts to further improve the digital tools for case management and court statistics
continue, but challenges remain. While some progress has been made to advance
digitalisation, for example to provide new computers, this fell short of addressing the courts’
IT needs. Courts still struggle with outdated infrastructure, insufficient IT support, and
inconsistent application of digital tools53
. The Council for Coordination of Information and
Communication Technology in Judicial Bodies (ICT Council), established by the Ministry of
Justice, leads the digitisation process. In November 2024, a Rulebook on the composition and
functioning of the Council was adopted, aiming to increase its efficiency and technical
expertise54
. The Automated Court Case Management Information System (ACCMIS)
continues to require improvements, in particular to take into account case complexity55
.
Between October and December 2024, the Commission for Supervision of ACCMIS
conducted reviews in 13 courts, confirming that ACCMIS was operational in all these courts
and that cases were assigned solely through the ACCMIS system. However, in numerous
instances, exemptions from the automatic allocation of cases were registered and cases were
reallocated by the court president. The randomised allocation of cases is also limited by the
fact that for certain courts there are not sufficient judges to allow a random allocation56
. The
prosecution service's new case management system is under development with the help of
international support57
. The plans envisage the interoperability between the systems, enabling
the efficient transfer information with courts, and the full tracing of cases58
. The challenges of
the sector persist, notably shortage of qualified IT technicians and auxiliary legal personnel.
Efficiency
The efficiency of the justice system has overall declined as the length of proceedings
increased for almost all case categories. Except for first instance administrative cases, the
clearance rate lay below 100% in 2023 in all case categories for both first and second
instance, meaning that there were more incoming than resolved cases over the year, and thus
50
Government of North Macedonia (2025a), p. 17. 2024 Enlargement report, North Macedonia.
51
Ministry of Justice (2025), p. 2. Elections of new judges of the Court of Appeals were partly completed and
three Supreme Court judges were elected in April.
52
Parliament of the Republic of North Macedonia, Archive number 08-751/1 (2025).
53
Supreme Court (2024c).
54
Government of North Macedonia (2025a), p. 18; Justice, Freedom and Security Subcommittee with North
Macedonia (2025).
55
2024 Enlargement Report, North Macedonia, p. 28.
56
Government of North Macedonia (2025a), p. 9.
57
A Commission for the Coordination of Activities Related to Information and Communication Technology
in Public Prosecutor's Offices was established in June 2024 and is responsible for coordinating activities
related to the IPA III programme of the European Union for the development of a new computer system in
the Public Prosecutor's Office. Government of North Macedonia (2025a), p.10.
58
Government of North Macedonia (2025a), p. 19.
8
the numbers of pending cases are increasing. There is a concerning negative development
from 2022-2023 especially for second instance administrative cases, where the clearance rate
dropped from 103% to 69%, and the disposition time more than tripled, from 92 to 306 days.
The respective pending cases at the end of year have more than doubled. For civil and
commercial second instance cases, the development is also negative, the clearance rate
declined from 97% to 86% and the disposition time increased from 166 to 257 days. For
second instance criminal cases, the clearance rate remained stable at 99%, while the
disposition time increased from 129 to 149 days. In first instance, the indicators show an
improvement for administrative cases with the clearance rate increasing from 104% to 112%,
and the disposition time declining from 303 to 283 days. For civil and commercial cases, the
first instance clearance rate improved from 85% to 93%, while the disposition time increased
from 312 to 339 days. For criminal cases, however, the negative trend from 2021 to 2022
continued also in 2023, with a clearance rate declining from 94% to 88% and a disposition
time increasing from 159 days to 223 days59
.
II. ANTI-CORRUPTION FRAMEWORK
The perception among experts, citizens and businesses is that the level of corruption in
the public sector is high. In the 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index by Transparency
International, North Macedonia scores 40/100 and ranks 88th
globally60
. This perception has
improved over the past five years61
. The 2025 Special Eurobarometer on Corruption shows
that 89% of respondents consider corruption widespread in their country (EU average 69%)
and 31% of respondents feel personally affected by corruption in their daily lives (EU
average 30%). As regards businesses, 91% of companies consider that corruption is
widespread (EU average 63%) and 54% consider that corruption is a problem when doing
business (EU average 35%). Furthermore, 34% of respondents find that there are enough
successful prosecutions to deter people from corrupt practices (EU average 36%), while 50%
of companies believe that people and businesses caught for bribing a senior official are
appropriately punished (EU average 33%)62
.
Implementation of the national anti-corruption strategy 2021-2025 continues to be
insufficient overall. The State Commission for Prevention of Corruption (SCPC) reported in
its annual report of 202563
that out of 154 activities planned for 2024, only 28 activities
(18%) have been fully implemented, 49 activities (32%) are in the process of implementation,
while 77 (50%) have not yet been implemented. The slow implementation rate of the Strategy
reflects a general lack of political commitment and ownership among the involved state
institutions64
. In line with the legal requirements, the 2024 report on the implementation of
the strategy has been submitted to the Parliament in March 202565
and published on the
website of the SCPC. Together with external experts, the SCPC has analysed the main
obstacles to fully implement the anti-corruption strategy over the past five years. The analysis
59
CEPEJ (2024), pp. 16-20.
60
The level of perceived corruption is categorised as follows: low (above 79); relatively low (between 79-60),
relatively high (between 59-50), high (below 50).
61
In 2020 the score was 35, while, in 2025, the score is 40. The score significantly increases/decreases when
it changes more than five points; improves/deteriorates (changes between 4-5 points); has been relatively
stable (changes from 1-3 points) in the last five years.
62
Data from Special Eurobarometer 561 (2025) and Flash Eurobarometer 557 (2025).
63
State Commission for Prevention of Corruption (2025a).
64
2024 Enlargement Report, North Macedonia, p. 33.
65
State Commission for Prevention of Corruption (2025b).
9
points to inefficient inter-institutional coordination, insufficient monitoring and budget
planning, a lack of expertise due to frequent staff turnover and methodological flaws66
. Work
has started on drafting a new Strategy for 2026-2030, taking into account the findings of the
analysis and its recommendations67
. The composition of the inter-institutional body for
coordination of anti-corruption activities68
now also includes a CSO representative as voting
member69
, which is a positive development70
.
Despite recent efforts in investigating and prosecuting corruption, delays in court
proceedings and resource constraints continue to hinder the establishment of a robust
track record of high-level corruption cases. High-level corruption cases often face delays
or result in minimal sentences, which reinforces public scepticism about the judiciary's
effectiveness. Investigations into high-profile cases rarely lead to final convictions71
. In
December 2024, the Chief Prosecutor issued a mandatory instruction that all public
prosecutors must prioritise corruption cases alongside cases of significant public interest72
.
Investigative centres within the prosecutor’s offices are also required to give these cases
precedence. The Public Prosecutor's Office (PPO) has reported strengthened capacity for
investigations, better inter-institutional collaboration, and four investigative centres are now
operational73
. The issue of insufficient public prosecutors has been partially addressed with
the selection of new prosecutors from graduates of the Academy for Judges and Prosecutors.
However, newly recruited prosecutors can be assigned for the first three years of their tenure
only to cases involving criminal charges with prison sentences of up to five years, as per the
Law on Public Prosecutors and the Law on Criminal Procedure74
. Despite a relocation to new
premises, the Public Prosecutor’s Office for Prosecuting Organised Crime and Corruption
(OCCPPO) continues to lack adequate budget and staff, notably financial experts.
The effect of the amendments to the Criminal Code continues to significantly
undermine efforts to combat corruption, particularly affecting the prosecution of high-
level corruption cases. The implementation of the amended Criminal Code75
continues to
result in termination of additional ongoing cases, notably of the former Special Public
Prosecutor’s Office (SPO). Several cases had to be terminated at investigation or court phase,
either because they became time-barred due to the reduction of penalties of the offences
concerned, or because the specific offences had been removed from the Criminal Code76
.
Nevertheless, there are no precise official data on how many corruption cases are affected by
these amendments. A ruling of the Supreme Court maintained abuse of office in public
66
USAID (2024) and Government of North Macedonia (2025a), p. 26.
67
USAID (2024).
68
2024 Rule of Law Report, North Macedonia, p. 14.
69
Justice, Freedom and Security Subcommittee with North Macedonia (2025).
70
The constitutive session of the Interinstitutional Body for coordination of anti-corruption activities under
the chairpersonship of Deputy Prime Minister for Good Governance took place on 8 April. The re-
establishment of this body could be a positive development pending political leadership and shared vision.
71
2024 Enlargement Report, North Macedonia, p. 29. Country visit North Macedonia, IPA II Project “EU
Support for Rule of Law”.
72
In the aftermath of the Kochani tragedy, the PPO has started several investigations. Currently, the
investigation is conducted against 45 individuals. The majority are suspected and charged with serious
crimes against public safety under Art. 292 in conjunction with Art. 288 of the Criminal Code.
73
Government of North Macedonia (2025a), pp. 33, 113.
74
Government of North Macedonia (2025a), p. 33.
75
2024 Rule of Law Report, North Macedonia, p. 13. According to North Macedonia’s Criminal Procedure
Code, the reduction in maximum penalties has implications and reduces the applicable statute of limitations.
76
Article 353 (5) abuse of office in public procurement.
10
procurement as a criminal offence, but with lighter sentences77
. In addition, the new
provisions moved jurisdiction over cases involving high-level corruption from the dedicated
Public Prosecutor’s Office for Prosecuting Organised Crime and Corruption (OCCPPO) to
the Basic Public Prosecutor's Offices (PPOs)78
, where insufficient specialisation and lack of
resources may hinder the effective prosecution of such offences79
. The lower penalties for
perpetrators of corruption, and the legal uncertainty that the amendments caused, have further
contributed to a sense of impunity80
. In March 2025, the Constitutional Court has formulated
reservations regarding the constitutionality of the September 2023 Criminal Code changes.
Consequently, the Parliament has six months to review the relevant provisions, after which
the Court can decide whether to repeal or annul them81
. In parallel, initial steps are being
taken towards reform. The Ministry of Justice has formed a working group to prepare
amendments to the existing Criminal Code to address the negative impacts of the changes
made in September 2023 and ensure effective enforcement82
. Moreover, the Ministry of
Justice is also preparing a comprehensive new Criminal Code, to be adopted by the
Parliament by December 2025, and a new Law on Criminal Procedure. The latter would
focus on areas such as confiscation, asset freezing, electronic evidence, financial
investigations, special investigative measures, detention, and the appeals process83
.
The State Commission for Prevention of Corruption (SCPC) continues to focus on
prevention and institutional cooperation but is less active in detecting and reporting
alleged instances of corruption. Challenges remain at the SCPC regarding staff as well as
funding for and interoperability of data management systems84
. Stakeholders have raised
concerns about SCPC’s overall lack of proactivity in initiating cases and in verifying the facts
of the cases when it does pursue allegations, which may hinder its effectiveness, particularly
as the SCPC often relies on media reports to identify possible cases of corruption85
. The
process of amending the Law on Prevention of Corruption and Conflict of Interest, which
regulates the work of the SCPC, has been re-initiated, with a focus on strengthening the
penalties86
. A new Memorandum of Cooperation was prepared in October 2024, aiming to
77
2024 Enlargement Report, North Macedonia, p. 32.
78
Following the changes to the Criminal Code, Article 353(5), abuse of office in public procurement, was
deleted from the Criminal Code. Prior to that, this offence was exclusively under the jurisdiction of the
Public Prosecutor’s Office for Prosecuting Organised Crime and Corruption for the entire country (Article
32 of the Law on PPO).
79
2024 Enlargement Report, North Macedonia, p. 30; Chief Public Prosecution (2024).
80
Country visit North Macedonia, State Commission for the Prevention of Corruption, civil society
organisations.
81
Constitutional Court of the Republic of North Macedonia (2025). The Court’s President highlighted that
there are constitutionality reservations as to the use of the fast-tracked ‘EU flag’ procedure, the differing
timing for the entry into force of relevant provisions, and the substance of the amendments.
82
Government of North Macedonia (2025a), p. 8: Notably, the crime 'Abuse of Official Position and
Authority' would be redefined because its present description raises many application issues, with increased
criminal penalties. Additionally, to strengthen penal policy, the Ministry has redefined and tightened
sanctions for the crimes of 'Misconduct in the Service' and 'Criminal Association.'
83
Government of North Macedonia (2025a), p. 32.
84
2024 Enlargement Report, North Macedonia, p. 12.
85
Country Visit North Macedonia, civil society organisations.
86
GRECO (2023). GRECO has observed that the current law lacks an adequate sanctioning mechanism for
violations related to conflicts of interest, integrity, and anti-corruption rules.
11
improve the cooperation between the SCPC and the PPO, but its signing was delayed in
relation to the initiated dismissal procedure against the Chief Prosecutor87
.
Concerns remain regarding the effective verification of asset declarations. A backlog of
cases and a lack of resources affected the SCPC’s ability to verify asset declarations. In 2024,
3 620 asset declarations were submitted, and 109 cases of irregularities were detected, the
majority of which were due to a failure to declare assets. The number of systematic asset
verifications declined from 2023 to 202488
. Some progress was made, benefiting from
international support, in implementing software solutions for enabling access to databases
from public institutions89
.
The number of registered lobbyists in the transparency register remains low. The Law
on Lobbying, which entered into force in June 2022, outlines the criteria for becoming a
lobbyist or registering a lobbying organisation and expanded the SCPC's competencies to
maintaining a “Register of Lobbyists, Lobby organisations and Lobbying”. The Register has
so far recorded 32 lobbied bodies that have fulfilled the obligation to establish internal
procedures for transparent lobbying, in line with Article 24 of the Law on Lobbying90
. To
date, only three lobbying organisations have registered91
.
Effective oversight of political party financing continues to be hampered by an
inadequate legislative framework and a lack of resources and expertise in the SCPC.
Amendments to the Electoral Code in March 202492
did not address systemic issues to be
tackled, namely the regulation of third-party financing of political campaigns, reporting on
in-kind contributions and loans, and effective sanctioning, as recommended by ODIHR93
. A
draft of new Electoral Code was prepared by the Ministry of Justice, aiming to address the
ODIHR recommendations, and was sent to ODIHR for an opinion 94
. In October 2024, the
SCPC published its reports on the financing of parties’ electoral campaigns during the 2024
presidential and parliamentary elections95
, in which it provided a positive self-assessment of
its role and fulfilment of its legal responsibilities in the electoral process. The two reports
were submitted to the Parliament and adopted, with no debate96
. The SCPC concluded that
the Electoral Code should be revised, as many provisions are either contradictory or too
vague. It highlighted that the percentage (64%) of election campaign funding coming from
the State Budget was too high and favours the main political parties, enabling political
87
Further, in November 2024, the SCPC became a full member of the European Partners against
Corruption/European Anti-Corruption Network (EPAC/EACN) in order to stimulate the exchange of best
practices with similar institutions (State Commission for Prevention of Corruption (2024b)). In April 2025,
the president of the SCPC took leave following investigation on a case related to abuse of public
procurement rules in the energy sector.
88
According to its annual plan, the SCPC carried out only 14 systematic verification of asset declarations, a
decline from 21 planned verifications in 2023. State Commission for Prevention of Corruption (2025a).
89
Through an EU project, an analysis was made of the needs of the SCPC as well as the possibilities for
upgrading and additional operationalisation of the Electronic System for Filing a Declaration of Assets and
Interests. IPA II Project “EU Support for Rule of Law (2024).
90
Government of North Macedonia (2025a), p. 46.
91
State Commission for Prevention of Corruption (2025).
92
Official Gazette No. 58/2024.
93
ODIHR (2024), p. 18; 2024 Rule of Law Report, North Macedonia, p. 15.
94
Government of North Macedonia (2025), p. 7.
95
State Commission for Prevention of Corruption (2024c).
96
Parliament of North Macedonia (2024), Archive nr. 08-4019/1.
12
influence on media editorial choices through the purchase of advertising97
. ODIHR published
its election report in September 2024, also pointing out deficiencies in the funding of
campaign advertising98
and noting that the SCPC took no action against parties failing to
comply with financial reporting duties. It underlined that adequate resources and technical
expertise for the SCPC and State Audit Office could improve campaign finance oversight99
.
Whistleblower protection remains weak, discouraging individuals from reporting
corruption, while the new law remains to be adopted. While some legal protections for
whistleblowers exist, enforcement mechanisms are insufficient, leaving many reports
unaddressed. Those who expose misconduct often face harassment, job loss, or legal
consequences, limiting the effectiveness of existing laws100
. In 2023, during the previous
legislative period, a draft law on protected reporting and whistleblower protection was
prepared, but not tabled before Parliament due to the parliamentary and presidential elections.
The law continues to be under revision101
.
Corruption risks are high in the healthcare and public procurement areas, while the
impact of political influence on efforts to address corruption is highlighted as a concern.
Corruption remains a significant challenge in multiple sectors. One area that is particularly
susceptible to petty corruption is public healthcare, where instances of bribery and abuse have
been reported, affecting the quality and accessibility of healthcare services102
. Public
procurement is also an area with a high risk for corruption, with concerns around the
transparency of tender processes and state contracts103
. In December 2024, the SCPC
criticised proposed amendments to the Public Procurement Law, exercising its anti-
corruption oversight powers104
. Corruption in the public sector is mainly linked to political
party influence and the inconsistent application of the merit-based hiring of civil servants105
.
Furthermore, stakeholders raised concerns that corruption investigations and prosecutions
might be perceived as selective, with some cases being potentially driven by political
97
The SCPC (2024) recommends that the Electoral Code should either be revised, or a new one should be
adopted. The key areas that need revisions: state budget financing criteria and amounts for political
campaigns, inadequate media advertising regulations—especially for internet portals, rules on private
donations to political parties, financial reporting standards, and the weak sanctions regime.
98
ODIHR (2024), p. 3: “The current system of state funding for campaign advertising increases media
dependence on state subsidies and does not prevent abuse by online news portals established only during
the campaign and serving to channel state funds to parties”.
99
ODIHR (2024): “The SCPC did not take action against parties failing financial reporting duties and, due to
financial constraints, did not deploy field monitors or inspect bank accounts to oversee campaign spending.
Analysts were hired late with limited access to information, reducing report scrutiny. Additionally, the
SCPC inadequately addressed violations of political campaigning provisions.”
100
Country visit North Macedonia, IPA II Project “EU Support for Rule of Law”.
101
Government of North Macedonia (2025a), p. 46; Justice, Freedom and Security Subcommittee with North
Macedonia (2025).
102
National Democratic Institute (2023), U.S. Department of State (2024).
103
Country visit North Macedonia, IPA II Project “EU Support for Rule of Law”.
104
State Commission for Prevention of Corruption (2024a). It criticised the proposed abolition of
administrative control over public procurement by the Public Procurement Bureau and the proposed
changes to the composition of the State Commission for Public Procurement Appeals, which it believed
could weaken anti-corruption protections. It also emphasised that the amendments were drafted with no
adequate public consultation and in fast-track legislative procedure.
105
Government of North Macedonia (2025), written input, p.28.
13
considerations rather than a comprehensive approach to addressing corruption across all
parties106
.
III. MEDIA PLURALISM AND MEDIA FREEDOM
The financial independence of the Agency for Audio and Audiovisual Media Services
has been improved, while appointments of new members to its Council are still pending.
The appointments by Parliament to the media regulator’s Council are overdue since July
2021107
. In January 2024, the parliamentary Commission for Elections and Appointments
selected seven new members of the Agency's Council108
. The selection process raised
concerns for its lack of transparency, clear criteria, and impartiality. Several stakeholders,
including the Association of Journalists, notably expressed concerns for lacking professional
qualifications109
. Parliament has yet to confirm the candidates proposed by the Commission
for Elections and Appointments in a plenary session. As of January 2025, the Ministry of
Digital Transformation has transferred the overdue funds and the legally prescribed budget110
to the media regulator, increasing its financial independence and operational capacities111
.
The Agency for Audio and Audiovisual Media Services continues to receive positive
feedback from media associations regarding its overall professionalism112
. The Media
Pluralism Monitor (MPM) 2025 considers the independence and effectiveness of the media
regulator to be an area of low risk, however, more efforts are needed in preventing party
political influences in the appointments of members of the media regulator 113
.
The self-regulatory Council of Media Ethics continues its activities despite concerns
about securing long-term sustainable funding. In 2024, the Council of Media Ethics
presented a plan to address the sustainable funding of its activity114
. It proposed a mix of
financing, based on state funds and membership contributions by media organisations and/or
journalists' associations115
. The review of received complaints in 2024 shows a decrease in
complaints related to hate speech compared to the previous year. The total number of
complaints received in 2024 was almost one-third lower compared to 2023116
.
The Public Service Broadcaster faces challenges, notably regarding its institutional
autonomy, despite improvements in its funding. The Parliament has not yet appointed a
106
Country visit North Macedonia, IPA II Project “EU Support for Rule of Law”.
107
2024 Enlargement Report, North Macedonia, p. 34. Mainly because of a lack of political agreement, as a
two-thirds majority in Parliament is necessary.
108
14th
session of the Commission on Election and Appointment Issues.
109
360stepeni.mk (2025b). According to the Law on Audio and Audio-visual Media Services (Article 16),
candidates must have at least eight years of professional experience in the field and must have distinguished
themselves in the public in the field of communicology, journalism, IT, culture, economics or law.
110
According to Article 105, paragraph 1 of the Law on Audio and Audio-visual Media Services, "funds for
financing the broadcasting activity, for the operation and development of the Macedonian Radio and
Television, the PE Macedonian Broadcasting and the Agency for Audio and Audio-visual Media Services
are provided from the Budget of the Republic of North Macedonia, in the amount of 1% of the realised tax
revenues determined in the last adopted final account of the budget of the Republic of North Macedonia.”
111
Government of North Macedonia (2025a), p. 55.
112
Country visit North Macedonia, civil society organisations.
113
Media Pluralism Monitor (2025).
114
The Council of Media Ethics of Macedonia (CMEM) is a non-governmental, non-political and non-profit
organisation.
115
Country visit, North Macedonia, meeting with stakeholders.
116
Council of Media Ethics (2025).
14
new Programme Council for the public broadcaster117
, causing ongoing concern since these
appointments have been pending since December 2018118
. An agreement was reached
between Macedonian Radio Television (MRT) and the Ministry of Digital Transformation to
settle unpaid funds owed to MRT for 2023119
. Funding for 2024 was transferred and in 2025
allocated to MTR, according to the Law on Audio and Audiovisual Media Services120
. The
public service broadcaster continued the modernisation plans to improve its professional
standards, but obstacles remain in recruiting new personnel due to its limited administrative
autonomy121
. When it comes to the media sector overall, the MPM 2025 points to a medium-
high risk, while the independence of the public service media falls within the category of
medium-low risk122
.
Challenges remain concerning transparency of media ownership. While the guidelines
for ethical reporting of online news media123
contain a provision for the disclosure of
ownership data, many digital news media still do not comply with the guidelines or are not
part of the voluntary registry managed by the Council for Media Ethics. The Ministry of
Digital Transformation, collaborating with numerous stakeholders in the media sector, has
prepared amendments to the law adopted in April 2025. The aim of the amended Law on
Media is to update the legal framework and regulate online media124
. The MPM 2025 points
to a medium-high risk regarding the transparency of media ownership and to a high risk for
the plurality of media providers125
. There have been no changes during the reporting period
regarding rules on media concentration. The Law on Audio and Audiovisual Media Services
has no rules for assessing the impact of market concentration on media pluralism, and there
are no legal rules to prevent the concentration of ownership in the digital media sector.
The reintroduction of state-funded advertising has drawn criticism from media experts
and civil society organisations. Civil society organisations, journalists’ associations, media
experts, and media regulators continue to have concerns about the reintroduction of state-
funded advertising126
. The main identified challenges refer to increasing the risk of the
117
The Programming Council of MRT protects the public's interests by ensuring programming content remains
free from political, commercial, and other influences and ideologies, and represents diverse societal views.
118
Law on audio and audiovisual media services, Article 108.
119
Law on Audio and Audiovisual Media Services, Article 104.
120
According to the amendments to the Law on Audio and Audio-visual Media Services (LAAVMS) from
July 2023, the total funds for MRT, Macedonian Broadcasting and the Agency for Audio and Audiovisual
Media Services (AAVMS) are in the amount of 1% of the realised tax revenues determined in the last
adopted final account of the Budget of the Republic of North Macedonia.
121
2024 Enlargement Report, North Macedonia, p. 36.
122
Media Pluralism Monitor (2025), p. 26, underlines that “corrosive media-cum-political clientelist ties in
North Macedonia are overwhelmingly present and persist”.
123
Council for Media Ethics (2021).
124
Government of North Macedonia (2025a), p. 52; 360stepeni.mk (2025а). According to the Government, the
amendments to the Law on Media are expected to eliminate the existing problems with internet portals in
North Macedonia by establishing a legal framework that recognises them as media, with clear rules for their
establishment and registration. The Agency for Audio and Audio-visual Media Services, as the competent
regulatory body, will maintain the Register of Online Media Publishers.
125
Media Pluralism Monitor (2025), p. 20; 2024 Enlargement Report, North Macedonia, p. 36.
126
2024 Rule of Law Report, North Macedonia, p. 18; 2023 Enlargement Report, North Macedonia, p. 31;
2024 Enlargement Report, North Macedonia, p. 7, 36; Prizma.mk (2024): “SCPC President Dimitrovska
warned that the latest regulatory changes have not solved this problem, and that online media receive
significant funds from the state budget.” Country Visit North Macedonia, RESIS, Metamorphosis
Foundation.
15
potential misuse of political funds and creating a market disruption127
. Furthermore, if the
sums are large, state advertising may lead to a situation where media outlets become
dependent on the authorities for funding, possibly compromising their editorial independence
and ability to produce quality content. To provide systematic support to media companies,
professional media organisations and civil society groups continue to advocate for the
creation of a media pluralism fund. This independent fund would support the development of
projects and content that serve the public interest, fostering a more diverse, high-quality, and
independent media landscape128
.
While the legal framework for access to public information is in place, its inconsistent
implementation can pose challenges to the effective exercise of this right. Legislation on
access to documents guarantees wide availability of information. However, inconsistent
implementation of the Law on Free Access to Information129
has continued, and several
challenges hindering the effective exercise of this right have remained. This includes some
public institutions130
often rejecting requests or delaying delivery of the public information on
arbitrary grounds131
. Stakeholders have also raised concerns that personal data protection is
frequently used as a blanket reason for refusing access to public documents, and the process
of obtaining information is excessively lengthy132
. To enforce the legal protection of the right
to free access to information, North Macedonia has ratified the Council of Europe
Convention on Access to Official Documents133
. The MPM 2025 confirms that while the
legal protection of the right to information carries a medium-low risk, public administration is
not sufficiently responsive in giving access to information in practice134
.
Despite some progress in strengthening the legal protection for journalists, their
working environment has not improved. Within the Public Prosecutor's Office, four public
prosecutors have been designated for coordinating and overseeing cases involving attacks on
journalists. The Association of Journalists of Macedonia (AJM) is offering legal aid and
support to journalists who encounter attacks and threats. AJM has also implemented a system
127
2024 Enlargement Report, North Macedonia, p. 36.
128
Macedonian Institute for Media (2025), media associations, such as the Association of Journalists,
Independent Union of Journalists and Media Workers, etc.
129
The Law is aligned with international standards and regulates the conditions, manner, and procedure of
exercising the right to free access to information of public character disposed by state administration bodies
and other bodies and institutions established by law.
130
Government of North Macedonia (2025a), p. 57. Silence still represents a serious problem among
Information Holders, and thus a major challenge for the Agency for Protection of Free Access to Public
Information. This is evident from the number of complaints filed with the Agency in the past 2024, which
relate to the silence of the administration, namely 246 complaints or 69.49% of the total 354 complaints
filed.
131
The 2024 report of the Association of Journalists notes that information holders often prolong and abuse the
maximum legal deadline of 20 days for responding to requests and recommends that institutions should
provide up-to-date performance information and create a special section on their website with all data for
exercising this right.
132
Country visit North Macedonia, civil society organisations.
133
The Council of Europe Convention on Access to Official Documents (CETS No. 205), also known as the
Tromsø Convention, entered into force on 1 March 2025. A revised draft Law on Free Access to Public
Information has been prepared and published for public consultation. The revisions aim to align the Law
with the Council of Europe Convention on Access to Official Documents, notably to improve the efficiency
of the procedure for free access to public information, as well as strengthen the responsibility of the holders
of public information. Government of North Macedonia (2025), p.8.
134
Media Pluralism Monitor (2025); 2024 Enlargement Report, North Macedonia, p. 26.
16
for recording and monitoring attacks on journalists135
. Effective implementation of the legal
provisions for the protection of journalists remains challenging, particularly in cases of online
harassment and gender-based violence targeting female journalists136
. Stakeholders reported
concerns for a rise in online smear campaigns, intimidation and threats, targeting especially
investigative journalists137
. Since the 2024 Rule of Law Report, one alert has been recorded
on the Council of Europe’s Platform to promote the protection of journalism and safety of
journalists. It concerns intimidation of a journalist by destroying their private property138
. The
Mapping Media Freedom platform has registered seven new alerts, including the above-
mentioned incident and another incident involving damage to a journalist’s private property,
in addition to one harassment and four intimidation cases139
. The lack of specific anti-
strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) legislation and the limited awareness
of this issue among judges, lawyers, and journalists remain obstacles to effectively protecting
journalists and public critics from SLAPPs. However, certain existing provisions could
provide some level of protection in such cases140
. In the context of lawsuits concerning insult
and defamation, data for 2024 shows that there were 15 cases involving journalists or media
outlets as either the plaintiff or defendant. This represents an increase compared to 2023,
when 12 such cases were recorded141
. Shortcomings in journalists' working conditions persist,
notably, the short-term or part-time contracts without health and social insurance coverage,
unpaid overtime and low wages, which contribute to self-censorship and influence over
editorial content by media owners142
. The MPM 2025 reports a medium-low risk for
journalistic profession, standards, and protection143
.
IV. OTHER INSTITUTIONAL ISSUES RELATED TO CHECKS AND BALANCES
The Parliament is implementing the new Rules of Procedure, which were adopted with
the aim of improving its oversight and efficiency. As previously reported, the new Rules of
Procedure of the Parliament were adopted in November 2023, with a view to improve its
functioning, notably concerning organising public hearings, the parliamentary calendar and
its role in deciding on shortened legislative procedures. The newly formed Parliament
convened on 28 May 2024144
, and its new Rules of Procedure entered into force145
. The rules
have so far had a positive effect on the Parliament’s operational efficiency; however, their
135
Government of North Macedonia (2025a), p. 61. In 2024, the Association of Journalists registered 5
incidents: 1 was a case of unauthorised monitoring, recording, and distribution of video concerning a
journalist, 1 as a destruction of property, 1 was online attack, 1 was a physical attack and 1 was arbitrary
detention of a journalist.
136
2024 Enlargement Report, North Macedonia, p. 20; 2024 Rule of Law Report, North Macedonia, p. 20.
With the reform of the Criminal Code in February 2023, journalists have been granted special protection by
being recognised as a protected group, similar to public officials. This change allows the Public
Prosecutor’s Office to independently initiate proceedings when a journalist or media worker is attacked.
137
Country visit, North Macedonia, Association of Journalists.
138
Council of Europe (2025).
139
European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (2025).
140
2024 Rule of Law Report, North Macedonia, p. 20. The 2022 amendments to the Law on Civil Liability for
Insult and Defamation significantly reduced the potential non-pecuniary damages imposed on media outlets
and journalists in defamation lawsuits.
141
Government of North Macedonia (2025a), p. 60.
142
2024 Enlargement Report, North Macedonia, p. 9, 37; Media Pluralism Monitor (2025).
143
Media Pluralism Monitor (2025): “North Macedonia is free of killings or direct physical attacks of
journalist.”, p. 16; 2024 Enlargement Report, North Macedonia, p. 36.
144
The 10th legislature of the Parliament, which concluded its term in May 2024, became the first since 2006
to complete a full four-year mandate.
145
2024 Rule of Law Report, North Macedonia, p. 22.
17
long-term impacts are yet to be determined. Moreover, the drafting of a new Code of Ethics
started in March 2025, designed to prevent conflicts of interest while promoting trust and
integrity. By May 2025, nine inter-party groups were established on anti-corruption,
environment, rights of persons with disabilities, Club of Women MPs, Roma, the Crimea
Platform, youth policies, the Berlin Process and the commitments under Growth Plan Reform
Agenda, which creates the premises for advancing the legislative work in these domains146
.
Challenges remain regarding parliamentary appointments to independent institutions,
which raise concerns about merit-based selections. The selection procedures in the
Parliamentary Committee on Election and Appointment Issues presented shortcomings, as on
several occasions candidates who were selected did not have relevant professional experience
or did not meet the qualification criteria147
. Appointments procedures are at times
significantly delayed, especially for the long-awaited appointments of Deputy
Ombudsperson, or the Public Service Broadcaster’s Programme Council.
Shortcomings remain in implementing processes for inclusive and evidence-based
policymaking. While coordination between the Government and Parliament on legislative
activities has been effective, a significant number of Government draft laws submitted to
Parliament are not included in the original Government legislative plan and do not have
supporting documents, such as Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) reports, which impede
an effective scrutiny and debate. Additionally, the use of policy monitoring and ex-post
evaluation tools is not entirely effective in practice148
. The Single National Electronic
Register of Regulations (ENER) platform149
is used for consultations150
, but it does not
always host the final versions of documents approved by the Government. Monitoring the
outcomes of the public consultations is sometimes ineffective, making it difficult to evaluate
their quality or impact on policy design. The new Rules of Procedure of the Parliament
strengthened the Parliaments’ role to ensure that the required impact assessments are carried
out by providing for the possibility to request lacking impact assessments for laws. However,
it is too early to assess the effectiveness of this change in practice151
.
Less than half of the companies surveyed in North Macedonia express high levels of
confidence in the effectiveness of investment protection. About 37% of companies are
very or fairly confident that investments are protected by law and courts152
. The main reason
among companies for their lack of confidence is the concerns about the quality, efficiency or
146
Country visit North Macedonia, representatives of the Parliament.
147
Examples include the process for election of members to the Council of Public Prosecutors, to the Agency
for Audio and Audiovisual Services (see in detail above Pillar III), and to the Commission for Prevention
and Protection Against Discrimination. At times, the Committee proposals were later withdrawn.
Information received in the context of the country visit to North Macedonia, civil society organisations.
148
2024 Enlargement Report, North Macedonia, pp. 22, 24.
149
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 30 days for
comments.
150
Government of North Macedonia (2025a), pp. 64, 79: Out of 193 draft laws drafted by the Government in
2024, 88 draft laws were subject to regulatory impact assessment. 30 draft laws (34%) were published on
ENER, which represents a decrease of 17.39 percentage points compared to 2023 (51.39%). The total
number of comments from stakeholders is 158, of which 21 comments are from civil society organisations
(13.3%).
151
SIGMA (2025)
152
Flash Eurobarometer 555 (2025).
18
the independence of the justice system153
. Further, 37% perceive the level of independence of
the public procurement review body (State Commission for Public Procurement Appeals) as
very or fairly good154
, while 31% perceive the level of independence of the national
competition authority (Commission for the Protection of Competition) as very or fairly
good155
.
On 1 January 2025, North Macedonia had 18 leading judgments of the European Court
of Human Rights pending implementation, an increase of 5 compared to the previous
year156. On 1 January 2025 North Macedonia’s rate of leading judgments from the past 10
years that had been implemented was at 65% (compared to 71% in 2024; 35% remained
pending), and the average time that the judgments had been pending implementation was 3
years and 3 months (compared to 3 years and 9 months in 2024)157
. The oldest group of
leading judgments, pending implementation for more than 14 years, concerns violations of
the applicants' right to liberty on account of the lack of concrete and sufficient grounds for
their detention158
. As regards the respect of payment deadlines, on 31 December 2024 there
were 2 cases in total awaiting confirmation of payments (compared to 9 in 2023)159
. On 16
June 2025, the number of leading judgments pending implementation had increased to 20160
.
The role of the Constitutional Court in the monitoring and enforcement of its decisions
has been strengthened. In June 2024, the Constitutional Court amended its internal act
regulating its functioning161
. Among the changes, the Court is now enabled to specify the
manner and timeframe for enforcement of the decision and provide guidance to the institution
responsible for adopting the act in question. To avoid a legal vacuum, the Court can set a
deadline to address the Court’s guidance before a final decision to repeal or annul the act is
taken. The Court’s capacities to monitor the execution of its decisions have also been
strengthened162
. These changes are a significant improvement and have also been welcomed
by civil society163
. In May 2025, the Administrative Court annulled a 2023 election of a
Constitutional Court judge based on unlawful and erroneous selection procedure by the
Judicial Council and election in Parliament.
Financial and human resource constraints continue to affect the functioning of the
Ombudsperson’s Office and of the Commission for Prevention and Protection Against
153
Flash Eurobarometer 555 (2025). 33% of the surveyed investors perceive the frequent changes in legislation
or concerns about quality of law-making process as a reason for the lack of confidence in investment
protection.
154
Flash Eurobarometer 555 (2025).
155
Flash Eurobarometer 555 (2025).
156
For an explanation of the supervision process, see the website of the Council of Europe.
157
All figures calculated by the European Implementation Network (EIN) and based on the number of cases
that are considered pending at the annual cut-off date of 1 January 2025. EIN (2025), written input, p. 2.
158
Judgment of the ECtHR, 28169/08, Vasilkoski and Others v. the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia,
pending implementation since 2011.
159
Council of Europe (2025), p. 157.
160
Data according to the online database of the Council of Europe (HUDOC).
161
Constitutional Court (2024).
162
Government of North Macedonia (2025a), pp. 66-71. In case of non-execution, the Court may adopt a
relevant resolution, and in such cases shall notify the public prosecutor's office with competence, as well as
the authority responsible for appointing or electing the head of the body or institution that failed to
implement the decision of the Court.
163
Ministry of Justice (2023). Nevertheless, as stated in the Judicial strategy 2024-2028, strengthening the
role of the Constitutional Court is a general objective of the Strategy, including through a potential reform
of the constitutional framework of the Court.
19
Discrimination. The Parliament did not adopt the long-awaited amendments to the Law on
the Ombudsperson’s Office, which is necessary to upgrade its 'B' accreditation status
according to the Paris Principles. The Ombudsperson’s Office lacks seven of the ten Deputy
Ombudspersons, and five positions were vacant since May 2023. A new vacancy
announcement for seven posts was published in April 2025164
. The Office continues to lack
the financial and human resources needed to function independently and effectively. In 2024,
no further staff was neither hired nor promoted due to a lack of budgetary approval. Of the
183 planned positions, only 85 are currently filled, and the institutions’ budget declined from
2024 to 2025165
. Its operational budget continues to require approval by the executive branch,
which negatively affects its financial independence166
. Despite these challenges, in 2024, the
Ombudsperson’s Office provided 743 individual recommendations to public bodies on
eliminating established violations of the rights of citizens, which is an increase compared to
the previous year. The acceptance rate by the public bodies concerned increased slightly to
74.8%167
. In December 2024, the Parliament discussed the 2023 Annual Report from the
Ombudsperson’s Office168
and measures to address identified shortcomings; however, there
have been no advances in follow-up by the Government169
. The Civil Control Mechanism170
and the National Preventive Mechanism within the Ombudsperson’s Office do not have the
adequate financial resources, equipment, and offices171
. As regards the Commission for the
Prevention and Protection against Discrimination, it has effectively handled a growing
number of complaints. However, similar to the Office of the Ombudsperson’s Office, the
main challenges hindering the Commission's progress are its limited financial independence
and a shortage of administrative staff172
.
The Government initiated measures to enhance cooperation with civil society, while civil
society raised challenges, including online hate speech. Civil society organisations
function within a ‘narrowed’173
civil society space. Some civil society organisations working
on sensitive areas have reported experiencing an increasing adverse environment, and in
164
Government of North Macedonia (2025a), p. 75.
165
Government of North Macedonia (2025), written input, p. 72. Data refers to December 2024. In addition,
two people had their employment terminated due to retirement.
166
Country Visit North Macedonia, Ombudsperson’s Office; 2024 Enlargement Report, North Macedonia, p.
34.
167
Government of North Macedonia (2025a), p. 73: In 2024, out of 743 individual recommendations, opinions
and suggestions given on the manner of eliminating the established violations of the rights of citizens and
other persons, 556 or 74.8% were accepted.
168
Government of North Macedonia (2025a), pp. 62, 63. The Parliament proposed measures to implement the
Ombudsperson's recommendations to address the issues outlined in the report and forwarded these to the
Government on 27 December 2024.
169
Country Visit North Macedonia, Ombudsperson’s Office. The Ombudsperson’s 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.
170
Government of North Macedonia (2025a), pp. 23.: In 2024 the Civil Control Mechanism handled a total of
25 cases (15 related to members of the prison police, and 10 to the police), six more than in 2023. Three
cases were initiated on its own initiative.
171
Financial resources are lacking to employ the parliament elected representative from civil society to the
Civil Control Mechanisms, thus, the mechanism is not functioning as intended but is only operational
through employees by the Ombudsperson Office. Justice, Freedom and Security Subcommittee with North
Macedonia (2025).
172
2024 Enlargement report, North Macedonia, p. 9.
173
CIVICUS (2025). Rating given on a five-category scale defined as: open, narrowed, obstructed, repressed
and closed.
20
some instances attacks against them, especially on social media174
. Nonetheless, with input
from civil society organisations, and in cooperation with line ministries and the Council for
cooperation between the Government and Civil Society, the General Secretariat of the
Government has prepared the new Strategy for cooperation with and development of civil
society 2025-2028. Furthermore, in January 2025 the Government adopted a Decision
regarding the allocation of state funds to civil society organisations175
. In March 2025,
following a two-year boycott by civil society organisations176
, the Government appointed the
members of the Council for Cooperation between the Government and Civil Society177
, and
they met for the first time in April.
174
Country visit, North Macedonia, civil society organisations.
175
Government of North Macedonia (2025a), p. 79: On January 14, 2025, the Government adopted a Decision
on the conditions for the allocation and use of funds for financing the programme activities of associations
and foundations from the Budget of the Republic of North Macedonia for 2025 (Official Gazette No.11/25).
The Decision establishes the conditions for the allocation and use of funds for financial support to civil
society organisations from the budget of the Ministry of Inter-Community Relations, the criteria for
assessing the quality of projects, the composition of the Commission for the allocation of funds and the
manner of reporting upon the completion of projects.
176
CSOs had been boycotting the Council’s work since March 2022 as previously reported in the 2024 Rule of
Law Report, North Macedonia, p. 24.
177
Government of North Macedonia (2025a), pp. 80, 81.
21
Annex I: List of sources in alphabetical order*
* The list of contributions received in the context of the consultation for the 2025 Rule of Law report
can be found at https://commission.europa.eu/publications/2025-rule-law-report-targeted-
stakeholder-consultation_en.
24.mk (2025), Mickoski to Kocevski: He should resign and not buy time (Мицкоски до Коцевски:
Да си поднесе оставка и да не купува време), https://24.mk/details/mickoski-do-kocevski-da-si-
podnese-ostavka-i-da-ne-kupuva-vreme.
360stepeni.mk (2025b), AJM: Political calculations in the selection of AAAVMS members are
unacceptable (ЗНМ: Политички калкулации при изборот на членови во ААВМУ се
неприфатливи), https://360stepeni.mk/znm-politichki-kalkulatsii-pri-izborot-na-chlenovi-vo-aavmu-
se-neprifatlivi/.
360stepeni.mk (2025a), The law that will make online portals into media outlets is ready — here are
the conditions (Стокмен е законот со кој интернет-порталите ќе станат медиуми, ова се
условите), https://360stepeni.mk/kratko-video-stokmen-e-zakonot-so-koj-internet-portalite-ke-stanat-
mediumi-ova-se-uslovite/.
4News.mk (2025), Government halts dismissal procedure for State Public Prosecutor Ljupco
Kocevski (Владата ја запира постапката за разрешување на државниот јавен обвинител
Љупчо Коцевски), https://4news.mk/vladata-ja-zapira-postapkata-za-razreshuvane-na-drzhavniot-
javen-obvinitel-lupcho-kotsevski/.
Academy of Judges and Public Prosecutors, public statement of the Managing Board (2025)
https://jpacademy.gov.mk/%d0%b8%d0%b7%d0%b2%d0%b5%d1%81%d1%82%d1%83%d0%b2%
d0%b0%d1%9a%d0%b5-2/
Balkan Insight (2025), PM’s Assault on Judicial ‘Swamp’ Raises Fears for North Macedonia
Democracy, https://balkaninsight.com/2025/03/11/pms-assault-on-judicial-swamp-raises-fears-for-
north-macedonia-democracy/.
CEPEJ (2024), Dashboard Western Balkans – 2023 Data Collection,
https://www.coe.int/en/web/cepej/towards-a-better-evaluation-of-the-results-of-judicial-reforms-in-
the-western-balkans-dashboard-western-balkans-.
Channel 5 Television (2025), Mickoski: After the interpellations, I expect resignations from the
members of the Judicial Council (Мицкоски: По интерпелациите очекувам оставки од членовите
на Судски совет), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpF_yuG1xz4.
Citizen Association Institute for Human Rights, Skopje (2023), Monitoring report on the work of the
Judicial Council August-December 2024, en-izveshtaj-sudski-sovet-avg-dek-2024.pdf.
CIVICUS (2025), North Macedonia, https://monitor.civicus.org/country/macedonia/.
Constitutional Court (2024), Internal Act of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of North
Macedonia, https://ustavensud.mk/мк/акт-на-судот.
Council of Europe, Platform to promote the protection of journalism and safety of journalists (2025),
North Macedonia, https://fom.coe.int/en/pays/detail/11709590.
Council of Europe: Venice Commission (2010), Independence of the Judicial System, Part II: The
Prosecution Service, CDL-AD(2010)040.
22
Council of Europe: Venice Commission (2025a), Opinion on the Draft Law on the Judicial Council,
CDL-AD(2025)026
Council of Europe: Venice Commission (2025b), Compilation of Venice Commission Opinions and
Reports Concerning Courts (CDL-PI(2025)002).Council of Public Prosecutors (2025d), Explanation
of the decision for the election of public prosecutors in the Basic Public Prosecutions of the Republic
of North Macedonia, https://sjorm.gov.mk/obrazlozhenie-na-odlukite-za-izbor/.
Council of Public Prosecutors (2025c), Decision number 02-45/2, https://sjorm.gov.mk/wp-
content/uploads/2025/03/odluka-za-objav-oglas-12.03.2025.pdf.
Council of Public Prosecutors (2025b), Announcement of the 22nd
Session (Соопштение за
одржана седница), https://sjorm.gov.mk/soopshtenie-za-odrzhana-sednica-17/. Record of the
Council session, https://sjorm.gov.mk/zapisnik-od-22-sednica-na-sjorsm/.
Council of Public Prosecutors (2025a), Annual report on the work of the Council for 2024 (Годишен
извештај за работата на Советот за 2024 година), https://sjorm.gov.mk/godishen-izveshtaj-za-
rabotata-na-sovetot-za-2024-godina/.
Council of Media Ethics (2021), Ethical guidelines for online media in North Macedonia,
https://semm.mk/en/pravna-ramka-3/2015-11-01-07-10-08/kodeks/851-guidelines-for-ethical-
reporting-for-online-media
EEAS (2025), Press release 17.03.2025, 19th meeting of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement
subcommittee with North Macedonia on Justice, Freedom and Security
https://www.eeas.europa.eu/delegations/north-macedonia/19th-meeting-stabilisation-and-association-
agreement-subcommittee-north-macedonia-justice-freedom_en?s=229
European Commission (2024), 2024 Enlargement Report, North Macedonia,
https://enlargement.ec.europa.eu/document/download/5f0c9185-ce46-46fc-bf44-
82318ab47e88_en?filename=North%20Macedonia%20Report%202024.pdf.
European Commission (2023), 2023 Enlargement Report, North Macedonia,
https://enlargement.ec.europa.eu/north-macedonia-report-2023_en
European Parliament (2025), Draft Report on the 2023 and 2024 Commission reports on North
Macedonia, https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/AFET-PR-769915_EN.pdf.
European Policy Institute – Skopje (2024), Quarterly Brief October-December 2024.
https://epi.org.mk/wp-content/uploads/Rule-of-Law-in-View-of-EU-Accession_4-2.pdf.
Government of North Macedonia (2025), additional written contribution for the 2025 Rule of
Law Report.
Government of North Macedonia (2025a), written input to the 2024 Rule from the Government of
North Macedonia for the 2025 Rule of Law Report.
GRECO (2024), 4th
Evaluation Round – Second Addendum to the Second Compliance Report, North
Macedonia, GrecoRC4(2023)21, https://rm.coe.int/fourth-evaluation-round-corruption-prevention-in-
respect-of-members-of/1680aec93a.
IPA II Project “EU Support for Rule of Law” (2025), Report from the consultation process with
judges and the expert public on the need of amending the law on judicial council of the Republic of
North Macedonia.
23
IPA II Project “EU Support for Rule of Law” (2023-2026), Strengthening the rule of law in the
Republic of North Macedonia, https://rolaw.mk/the-project/
Judicial Council (2024b), Promotion of the System for Audio and Video Recording of Court Hearings
(Промоција на Системот за тонско (аудио) и видео снимање на судските расправи),
http://sud.mk/wps/portal/ssrm/sud/vesti/.
Judicial Council (2024c). 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)
Judicial Council (2024a), Letter from the former President of the Judicial Council,
http://sud.mk/wps/portal/ssrm/sud/vesti/.
Judicial Council (2025c), 510th
session of the Judicial Council of the Republic of North Macedonia,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ko1PoroBDk.
Judicial Council (2025b), 518th
session of the Judicial Council of the Republic of North Macedonia,
http://sud.mk/wps/portal/ssrm/sud/vesti/.
Judicial Council (2025a), 521st session of the Judicial Council of the Republic of North Macedonia,
http://sud.mk/wps/portal/ssrm/sud/vesti.
Macedonian Institute for Media (2025), The Future of the Media in North Macedonia - Facts and
Trends, https://mim.org.mk/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/ourmedia_nmk-eng_25-01-25.pdf
Ministry of Justice (2024a), Comprehensive overview of the status of implementation of the activities
of the Judicial Strategy for 2024-2028
Ministry of Justice (2023), Strategy for Judicial Reform 2024-2028
https://www.pravda.gov.mk/Upload/Documents/%D0%9F%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%B4%D0%BB%
D0%BE%D0%B3%20%D0%A0%D0%B0%D0%B7%D0%B2%D0%BE%D1%98%D0%BD%D0%
B0%20%D0%A1%D0%B5%D0%BA%D1%82%D0%BE%D1%80%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B0%2
0%D0%A1%D1%82%D1%80%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%B5%D0%B3%D0%B8%D1%98%D0%B0
%20%D0%B7%D0%B0%20%D0%9F%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%B2%D0%BE%D1%81%D1%83%
D0%B4%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B2%D0%BE%202024%20-%202027.pdf
Ministry of Justice (2025), Assessment of the Supreme Court - Oversight Report (ЗАПИСНИК – Cд
надзор Bo Врховен суд),
https://www.pravda.gov.mk/Upload/Documents/%D0%97%D0%90%D0%9F%D0%98%D0%A1%D
0%9D%D0%98%D0%9A%20%D0%BD%D0%B0%D0%B4%D0%B7%D0%BE%D1%80-
%D0%92%D1%80%D1%85%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B5%D0%BD%20%D1%81%D1%83%D0%
B4.pdf.
Mia.mk (2025a), Judicial Council members cannot be dismissed by force, fight to continue through
public pressure: PM, https://mia.mk/en/story/judicial-council-members-cannot-be-dismissed-by-
force-fight-to-continue-through-public-pressure-pm.
Mia.mk (2025b), Council of Public Prosecutors votes against Ljupcho Kocevski’s dismissal,
https://mia.mk/index.php/story/council-of-public-prosecutors-votes-against-ljupcho-kocevskis-
dismissal.
24
Mkd.mk (2025) The Government has officially requested the dismissal of Public Prosecutor Kocevski
(И официјално Владата побара разрешување на јавниот обвинител Коцевски)
https://mkd.mk/makedonija/i-oficijalno-vladata-pobara-razreshuvanje-na-javniot-obvinitel-kocevski/.
National Democratic Institute (2023), Corruption And Quality Of Public Services In North
Macedonia: Assessing Healthcare And The Civil Registry Through Public Opinion Research,
https://www.ndi.org/publications/corruption-and-quality-public-services-north-macedonia-assessing-
healthcare-and-civil.
Parliament of the Republic of North Macedonia (2024), registration n. 08-2392/1,
https://www.sobranie.mk/material-details.nspx?param=b811d2fc-52a9-468c-9920-8c5964672d9a.
Parliament of the Republic of North Macedonia (2025), Session of the Assembly No. 40, Interpellation
on the work of the members of the judicial council Vesna Dameva, Pavlina Crvenovska, Selim Ademi,
Tanja Cacarova-Ilievska, Miljasim Mustafa, https://www.sobranie.mk/detali-na-
sednica.nspx?sittingId=a12327be-4550-4161-9bd9-fa6b3b48ee07.
Prizma.mk (2024), Risk of misuse of the money for election advertising (Ризик од злоупотреба со
парите за изборни реклами), https://prizma.mk/rizik-od-zloupotreba-od-parite-za-izborni-reklami/.
SIGMA (2025), Public administration in the Republic of North Macedonia 2024. Assessment against
the Principles of Public Administration,
https://www.oecd.org/content/dam/oecd/en/publications/reports/2025/01/public-administration-in-the-
republic-of-north-macedonia-2024_03a4d4f2/071bad9d-en.pdf.
State Commission for Prevention of Corruption (2024a), The State Commission for the Prevention of
Corruption calls for transparency and analysis in the process of adopting amendments to the Law on
Public Procurement (Државната комисија за спречување на корупцијата повикува на
транспарентност и анализа при донесување на измените на Законот за јавни набавки),
https://dksk.mk/mk/соопштение-за-законот-за-јавни-набавк/.
State Commission for Prevention of Corruption (2024b), The State Commission for the Prevention of
Corruption has become a member of the anti-corruption network EPAC/EACN (Државната
комисија за спречување на корупцијата стана членка на антикорупциската мрежа
EPAC/EACN), https://dksk.mk/mk/државната-комисија-за-спречување-на-к-
9/.https://dksk.mk/mk/државната-комисија-за-спречување-на-к-9/
State Commission for Prevention of Corruption (2024c), Presentation of the special reports on the
2024 presidential and parliamentary elections (Презентација на посебните извештаи за
претседателските и парламентарните избори 2024), https://dksk.mk/пресентација-на-
посебните-извештаи-з/.
State Commission for Prevention of Corruption (2025a), Annual report on the work of the State
Commission for the Prevention of Corruption for the year 2024 (Годишен извештај за работата
на Државната комисија за спречување на корупцијата за 2024 година), https://dksk.mk/wp-
content/uploads/2025/03/ГИ-за-работата-на-ДКСК-за-2024-за-web-без-прилози.pdf.
State Commission for Prevention of Corruption (2025b), Annual report on the implementation of the
National Strategy for Prevention of Corruption and Conflict of Interest 2021–2025 for the period from
January 1, 2024 to December 31, 2024 (Годишен извештај за спроведување на Националната
стратегија за спречување на корупцијата и судирот на интереси 2021-2025 за период
01.01.2024 – 31.12.2024), https://dksk.mk/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Годишен-извештај-
Национална-Стратегија-2024.pdf.
25
State Commission for Prevention of Corruption (2025), Register of lobbyists and lobbying
organisations (Регистар на лобисти и лоби организации), https://lobisti.dksk.mk/all-lobbyists.
Supreme Court of the Republic of North Macedonia (2024c) In the Supreme Court, based on the
commitments of the Council for Open Judiciary, new services have been prepared for the social rights
of citizens (Во Врховниот суд, врз основа на заложбите на Советот за отворено судство,
подготвени се нови сервиси за социјалните права на граѓаните),
http://sud.mk/wps/portal/vsrm/sud/vesti/.
Supreme Court of the Republic of North Macedonia (2024a), The Supreme Court and the Judicial
Media Council have promoted recommendations for recording and photographing in the courtroom
(Врховниот суд и Судско-медиумскиот совет ги промовираа препораките за снимање и
фотографирање во судница), http://sud.mk/wps/portal/vsrm/sud/vesti/.
Supreme Court of the Republic of North Macedonia (2024b), Report on the visits of the President of
the Supreme Court of the Republic of North Macedonia to the Basic and Appellate Courts,
http://www.vsrm.mk/wps/wcm/connect/vsrm/99c7c6ba-380e-4054-a50b-
c45da8250a42/%D0%B8%D0%B7%D0%B2%D0%B5%D1%88%D1%82%D0%B0%D0%B8+21.1
0.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&CVID=pe6EW4a&CVID=pe6EW4a&CVID=pe6EW4a&CVID=pe6EW4a
&CVID=pe6EW4a&CVID=pe6EW4a&CVID=pe6EW4a&CVID=pe6EW4a&CVID=pe6EW4a&CV
ID=pe6EW4a&CVID=pe6EW4a&CVID=pe6EW4a&CVID=pe6EW4a&CVID=pe6EW4a.
Telma.com.mk (2025), Mickoski announces protests if the five members of the Judicial Council do
not resign: I will be in the front rows (Мицкоски најавува протести доколку 5-те членови на
Судски Совет не си дадат оставки: Ќе бидам во првите редови),
https://telma.com.mk/2025/03/14/miczkoski-najavuva-protesti-dokolku-5-te-chlenovi-na-sudski-
sovet-ne-si-dadat-ostavki-ke-bidam-vo-prvite-redovi/.
Transparency International (2024), Corruption Perceptions Index,
https://www.transparency.org/en/cpi/2024.
Transparency International Macedonia (2025), Corruption Barometer 2024,
https://transparency.mk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/corruption_barometer_2024.pdf.
U.S. Department of State (2024), 2024 Investment Climate Statements: North Macedonia,
https://www.state.gov/reports/2024-investment-climate-statements/north-macedonia/.
USAID (2024), Analysis of factors which influence the degree of implementation of the strategy for
prevention of corruption and conflict of interest 2021-2025, [hyperlink].
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Annex II: Country visit to North Macedonia
The Commission services held virtual and hybrid meetings in March 2025 with:
• Academy for Judges and Prosecutors
• Agency for Audio and Audiovisual Media Services
• Agency for the Protection of Free Access to Public Information
• Association of Journalists
• Association of Judges
• Association of on-line media; RESIS Institute (Research Institute on Social
Development)
• Association of Prosecutors
• Bar Association
• BIRN Macedonia
• Center for Civil Communication
• Center for Legal Research and Analysis / Центар за правни истражувања и анализи
• Coalition All for Fair Trials
• Constitutional Court
• Council of Europe Mission to Skopje
• Council of Media Ethics
• Council of Public Prosecutors
• European Policy Institute
• Independent Trade Union of Journalists and Media Workers;
• Institute for Democracy “Societas Civilis”
• Institute for Human Rights
• Institute of Communication Studies - IKS
• Judicial Council
• Judicial Media Council
• Macedonian Centre for International Cooperation - MCIC
• Macedonian Institute for Media – MIM
• Meeting with the experts of the “EU Support for Rule of Law” IPA Project
• Metamorphosis Foundation
• Ministry of Interior
• Ministry of Justice
• Ombudsperson Office
• OSCE Mission to North Macedonia
• Parliament
• Public Prosecutor’s Offices (PPOs)
• State Audit Office
• State Commission for Prevention of Corruption (SCPC)
• Supreme Court
• Transparency International – Macedonia
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* The Commission also met the following organisations in a number of horizontal meetings:
• Amnesty International
• Araminta
• Civil Liberties Union for Europe
• Civil Society Europe
• European Civic Forum
• European Partnership for Democracy
• European Youth Forum,
• International Commission of Jurists
• International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)
• JEF Europe
• Philea – Philanthropy Europe Association.
• Transparency International