Accelerating the delivery of justice was the central focus as the OSCE Mission to Skopje joined senior judicial professionals today at the Annual Judicial Conference, marking the National Day of the Judiciary. Held under the theme "Strengthening judicial independence and accountability through greater efficiency of procedures," the event comes at a crucial time for reform in North Macedonia's justice system.
In his opening remarks, Head of Mission Ambassador Kilian Wahl underscored the OSCE's commitment to making justice faster and fairer through practical, systemic change.
"We are committed to enhancing procedural efficiency and addressing systemic delays that undermine justice. We do so with renewed focus embedded in our newly adopted three-year strategy, which realigns our efforts toward more targeted and impactful priorities: through legislative reform, stronger coordination across the justice chain, and sustained investment in institutional capacities.", said Ambassador Kilian Wahl, Head of the OSCE Mission to Skopje.
The conference convened key figures from the judiciary, including Judge Ivan Dzolev, President of the Association of Judges; Aleksandar Kambovski, President of the Judicial Council; and Justice Xhemali Saiti, Acting President of the Supreme Court.
Judiciary protects the fundamental human rights and freedoms, provides equality, equity, and non-discrimination. It protects the legal order and provides legal safety, rule of law, and assesses the legality in citizens' actions. In this regard, as holders of the third branch of power, we also ask for equal, equitable and non-discriminatory attitude by the country in which we have decided to build and upgrade our professional career, and contribute to providing constitutionality and legality through impartiality, independence and professionalism. Additionally, we ask for the equal and non-discriminatory attitude toward judges to be copied toward the judicial service without which courts cannot tackle challenges. That's why the Association has initiated a second initiative before the Constitutional Court of RNM for assessing the Law on Salaries of Judges, and has submitted a request to the competent institutions for urgent intervention regarding personnel shortage in courts - highlighted the President of the Association, judge Ivan Djolev.
Through its new strategy, the OSCE Mission to Skopje prioritizes criminal justice reform as a foundation for rule of law - supporting measures that reduce delays, strengthen co-operation, and build a judicial system that delivers timely, transparent, and equitable outcomes for all.
