Constitution is the cornerstone of the rule of law, the most significant element in any society, and the Constitutional Court is the guardian of these values, and therefore issues related to it should always be treated with attention, caution and expertise, Justice Minister Bojan Marichikj told roundtable “Constitutional Judiciary in Republic of North Macedonia” on Friday.
Minister Marichikj said the rule of law is the Government and Ministry’s top priority, and the Constitutional Court is the place where many important decisions on the country’s future have been made and the constitutionality of numerous laws has been assessed.
“That is why I believe that the constitutional judges and the Constitutional Court should have all the necessary conditions for continued and quality work,” said Marichikj.
He noted the need of financial and administrative independence of the Constitutional Court, in order to achieve a higher degree of efficiency.
Marichikj referred to the Venice Commission opinion on the benefits of adopting a separate Law on the Constitutional Court that would regulate matters related to the status of constitutional judges, criteria to initiate proceedings before the Constitutional Court and the legal aspects of the Court’s rulings.
He added that big changes and reforms are currently taking place in the judiciary, towards increasing the efficiency, transparency and independence of courts.
“The Constitutional Court will be incorporated in these positive reforms that include the digitization of about 200 courtrooms across the country. This court will be modernized during the second stage in 2022, including an integrated information system. These reforms aim to simplify court operations and ensure continued functioning, bring institutions closer to citizens, media, lawyers and other parties in the procedures, thus increasing trust,” said Marichikj.
Constitutional Court President Sali Murati stressed the necessity to ensure a functional, budget and administrative independence of the court.
“All former Court compositions detected these problems, but the current one has started to work on overcoming them,” said Murati.
Dutch Ambassador Dirk-Jan Kop said the Netherlands would like to see a prosperous and stable Western Balkans integrated in the EU and NATO.
The Ambassador said the rule of law is the foundation of all modern democracies, alongside the respect of human rights and citizens’ equality before institutions.
“Netherlands remains a committed supporter of the Republic of North Macedonia and its efforts. The goal is clear. The faster reforms yield tangible results and European standards and rule of law are established, the faster the accession process will be,” concluded Kop.
The roundtable focused on raising the awareness regarding the work of the Constitutional Court, improved data collection through constant monitoring and analysis of its operations, improving the people’s knowledge on the mechanisms to protect constitutionality and legality, as well as the constitutionally guaranteed human rights before the Court.
