Publications

Vernissage photography exhibition by Gianfranco Ferraro, at the Italian Cultural Institute, Ungargasse 43, 1030 Vienna on 3 July 2017.

During the implementation of the current LCP, during trial monitoring activities and over discussion with national legal practitioners, it became obvious that one of the weaknesses among legal practitioners is the adequate use of expert opinions, expert witnesses and technical advisors as a tool for representing facts as evidence in Court, and their effective, efficient and financially justified conduct in accordance with the rules and principles of the national criminal procedure. The Law on Expertise, as lex specialis needs to be understood in the context of the LCP and the purpose of the expert witnesses during a criminal case trial. Therefore, the OSCE Mission to Skopje supported the drafting of this Guidebook for legal practitioners including positive and negative examples from the national court practice, ECtHR jurisprudence and additional elaborations of the novelties in the Law on Expertise.

The execution of sanctions is the final piece that closes the entire process of adjudication in criminal procedure. The lack of proper sanctions enforcement through a clear, understandable and fair procedure, the incomplete legal framework, as well as the inconsistent practice of the courts at the four appellate regions in North Macedonia, contributes to the negative public perception, especially in “high profile” cases. The Mission, in cooperation with the national Judges’ Association and the Skopje Basic Criminal Court, developed an Analysis of the practical problems of the procedure for execution of sanctions, addressing the legislative gaps and providing concrete legislative solutions. The Analysis includes diverse court practices from the appellate regions and recommends practical approaches to overcome certain challenges. Not available in English.

The Guidelines for the Implementation of Gender Equality in Trade Unions are a tool for the preparation of action plans on equal opportunities and gender equality policies, as well as on reporting on those, as required by the Law on Gender Equality. The guide is available in Serbian language only.

In line with its mandate and relevant OSCE commitments, the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina contributes to the fight against corruption by supporting the development, adoption, and promotion of anti-corruption regulations at all authority levels as well as their implementation by relevant governmental bodies. Corruption is costly: politically, in terms of eroding democracy and the rule of law; economically, by wasting public resources and deterring investment; and socially, by diminishing citizens’ trust in the political system and its leadership.