This Shadow Report unites in a coherent manner all the findings, conclusions and recommendations that resulted from the monitoring in the areas covered by Chapter 23 – Judiciary and Fundamental Rights. This is the nineth such report published by the European Policy Institute (EPI) – Skopje, taking into account the comments and opinions of both state institutions and non-governmental organisations. The previous eight reports covered the following periods: October 2014 – July 2015, July 2015 – April 2016, May 2016 – January 2018, June 2018 – March 2019, April 2019 – March 2020, April 2020 – September 2021, October 2021 – September 2022 and October 2022 – September 2023.
This report covers the period from the beginning of October 2023 until the end of September 2024. The report provides data that are relevant even before October 2023, if they were needed for contextualisation or clarification of new information from the current reporting period, and which are relevant for it. The period covered by this report corresponds to the reporting period of the European Commission (EC) for the Republic of North Macedonia (RNM). This draft report follows the structure of Chapter 23, in line with the EC report. At the end of each covered area, we have singled out in a frame the recommendations.
The reporting period was marked by the drafting of the Reform Agenda of North Macedonia under the EU Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, which represents a comprehensive package of measures to achieve the envisaged goals in the priority areas agreed with the EC, including the rule of law. At the same time, the period was marked by presidential and parliamentary elections, forming of a new government, as well as the European elections and the nomination of a new college of commissioners, including a new Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement. Post-election meetings of the new governing structures confirmed the established positions and criteria of both sides, leaving North Macedonia’s accession process at a standstill.
This Shadow Report was drafted within the framework of the project “Building Bridges for a Common Future: Rule of Law in View of EU accession”. The project is financed by the European Union and aims to help create sustainable reforms for the rule of law on the path to the EU accession.
