Regional Workshop on Disciplinary Procedures and Practice in North Macedonia

A regional workshop on Disciplinary Proceedings and Ethics in the Western Balkans took place on February 24-25 in North Macedonia, bringing together key stakeholders. The “Balkan Enforcement Strengthening Project” (BESP) funded by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs and implemented by CILC gathered Ministries of Justice and Chambers of Enforcement Agents from the Western Balkan countries in Strumica, North Macedonia to discuss disciplinary proceedings and ethics.

BESP project developed an analysis of the disciplinary practices “Comparative Study on Disciplinary Process and Practice of Judicial Officers” and for the first time analysed the disciplinary process and practice in five Balkan jurisdictions: Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia. The Study explored best practices, identified some gaps and comparisons of the existing national disciplinary practices with the Fair Trial framework set by the ECtHR. Participating legal systems had a chance to showcase good practices with each other, discuss and agree on a model disciplinary system to be reflected in the draft of Regional Guidelines on Disciplinary practices.

In addition, national factsheets for each jurisdiction were compiled by the BESP project’s international expert Katilin Popov through review of national statutory regulations, analysis of disciplinary case-law and practical experience gathered through online meetings with local counterparts: legal practitioners, judges, members of the disciplinary bodies, representatives of Judicial Officers and the Ministries of Justice. By comparing judicial officers’ discipline in all five jurisdictions covered, participants at the regional workshop will get acquainted with good practices from the region that they could eventually transpose at home and use the Regional Guidelines as a benchmark.