Regional judicial conference, supported by the OSCE, takes place in Skopje

SKOPJE, 28 March 2019 – Some 60 judges from North Macedonia, Croatia, Montenegro, Poland, Serbia and Slovenia, gathered in Skopje today to discuss preconditions and challenges the Western Balkan countries face on the path towards the application of European judicial standards in their countries.

The Regional Judicial Conference, organized to mark the National Day of the Judiciary, is an annual event organized by the Association of Judges and supported by the OSCE Mission to Skopje.

“Judges in the country face serious challenges, but they must persevere and show that they possess the capacities and the accountability to enforce judicial independence and impartiality,” said Jeffrey Goldstein, the Deputy Head of the OSCE Mission to Skopje.  “In all the textbooks on leadership, it is written that good leaders lead by example, and it is very important that judges do lead in international judicial standards implementation practice.”

The President of the Judges’ Association, Xhemali Saiti, said: “The political context surrounding the judiciary only confirms our real needs and I hope that this trend will be subdued by means of a standardized and universally acceptable legal system created whilst progressing towards full accession to the Euro-Atlantic organizations, with particular acknowledgement of the obligations under Chapter 23.”