North Macedonia – Country report Non-discrimination 2021
Transposition and implementation at national level of Council Directives 2000/43 and 2000/78 - State of affairs 1 January 2021 The country report on non-discrimination prepared by our research coordinator, Biljana Kotevska for the European network of legal experts in gender equality and non-discrimination. DOWNLOAD PDF The Global Peace Index – Some Lessons for the Western Balkans
Author: Simonida Kacarska The EU’s appeal to the Western Balkans is conventionally explained by expectations of accelerated democratic and economic development. Given the recent wars and conflicts in the region, it is extremely important to look at the rapprochement with the EU from a security and reconciliation perspective. A useful tool for this analysis is […]
2020 Report on the Implementation of the 2017-2022 Strategy for Reform of the Judicial Sector
The Action Plan for the implementation of the 2017-2022 Strategy for Reform of the Judicial Sector (the Strategy) has indicators, using which the success rate of the implementation of the measures set forth under the Strategy is assessed. However, these indicators are primarily focused on monitoring the output of envisaged activities, while dedicating little attention [...] Аnalysis of the quality and uniformity of court decisions in civil cases
The analysis of the quality and uniformity of court decisions in civil cases prepared by Dusko Georgievski, includes 88 anonymized decisions from the four appellate areas adopted in the period from 2017 to 2020 (with the exception of one, which was adopted in early 2021 ). Each of the decisions was analyzed separately, based on [...] Policy dialogue: North Macedonia has more judges than the European average, but our judges also have more cases to solve
Even though in the Strategy for Reform of the Judicial Sector, as well as in other documents, it is pointed out that the number of judges is higher than the European average, if measured by the number of population, still our judges, statistically, have more cases to resolve. Any reduction in their number will have […]
Analysis of the quality and uniformity of criminal law court decisions
According to the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), the safeguards enshrined in Article 6 of the European Human Rights Convention (ECHR) include the obligation of courts to provide and produce appropriate and sufficient reasoning for their decisions. The right to reasoned decisions is a key aspect of the fair procedure, upon [...] Bulgaria’s Experience in Reforming the Judiciary as a Challenge for EU Membership
The process of reform of the judiciary in Bulgaria is still ongoing, with no establishment of a solid and clearly defined framework for the judicial system or consensus amidst political parties, the judiciary, and the public on the concept for the development of the setup and organisation of the judicial system in sight. The role [...] Partial Reforms and Incomplete Europeanisation – Croatia’s Experience in Conducting Reforms in the Context of the Chapter 23 Negotiations with the EU
Croatia became a member of the European Union on July 1, 2013, after more than ten years since it applied for membership in February 2003. Negotiations started in November 2005 with the 'screening’ stage, while the first chapter on science and research was opened in June 2006. The start of the accession negotiation was made [...] The EU as a promoter of democracy or ‘stabilitocracy’ in the Western Balkans?
Clients: Netherlands’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Netherlands’ Ministry of Defence Implementers: the Netherlands Institute of International Relations ‘Clingendael’ in collaboration with the Think for Europe network. Starting from August 2021, the Think for Europe Network (TEN) commenced its work on the research project “the EU as a promoter of democracy or ‘stabilitocracy’ in the Western Balkans?”. […]
Bilateral Forums France – Western Balkans: An initiative for the strategic reengagement of France in the Western Balkans
The objective of the initiative is to use track-two diplomacy deliberations to explore how to intensify economic, political and societal cooperation between France and the Western Balkans. The project will contribute to the reflection about the implementation of the French Strategy on the Western Balkans through recommendations from the region. EPI will organise one of […]