Conducting judicial negotiations as a cross-cutting issue

Participants in the seminar “Preparation and conduct of negotiations in civil procedure” held in Skopje (North Macedonia) on 25 October 2022.
Participants in the seminar “Preparation and conduct of negotiations in civil procedure” held in Skopje (North Macedonia) on 25 October 2022.
North Macedonia

The seminar on “Preparing and conducting negotiations in civil proceedings” organised by IRZ and the Academy for Judges and Public Prosecutors “Pavel Shatev” took place in Skopje (North Macedonia) on 25 October 2022. Antoneta Dimovska, judge at the civil court in Skopje and Prof Dr Jan Orth, LL.M., presiding judge at the Cologne Regional Court, emphasised the importance of extensive preparation and active management of civil hearings.

Judicial conduct of negotiations has multiple effects

They not only help speed up the duration of the proceedings, but also lead to a greater acceptance of the court and its decisions by the parties and thus to the reputation of the judiciary as a whole.

The participants were given practical recommendations, e.g. on how to deal with the parties and legal representatives when dealing with litigation settlements. A practical exercise in small groups on relational techniques rounded off the program.

The two speakers both stressed the importance of an active role for the judiciary in their very engaging presentations. They also responded to their frequently encountered fear of being biased due to preliminary assessments of the legal and factual situation.

The film backed up the discussions and presentations

The premiere of the IRZ training film on judicial negotiation in the Macedonian language was a valuable addition to the presentations and discussions. It also featured Macedonian participants in working visits to Germany organised by IRZ, who described the impressions they had gained and related German practice to that in the courts of North Macedonia.

The event is an example of how IRZ significantly increases the efficiency of the IRZ events with the professional combination of formats and forms of action.

Major role of the notary's office in the fight against money laundering

Lovro Tomašić, BNotK and Metodija Ristoski, President of the North Macedonia Chamber of Notaries, answer questions from the media.
Lovro Tomašić, BNotK and Metodija Ristoski, President of the North Macedonia Chamber of Notaries, answer questions from the media.
North Macedonia

Major role of the notary's office in the fight against money laundering

Two events were held in Skopje (North Macedonia) on 26 October 2022 on the topic “The role of the notary's office in the fight against money laundering”. IRZ aims to use this measure to support the North Macedonia Chamber of Notaries in cooperation with the Federal Chamber of Notaries.

Notarial reporting obligations and recommendations for conduct

An internal workshop was held in the morning, which began with a welcome address from the President of the Chamber of Notaries of North Macedonia, Metodija Ristoski, notary Dr Lovro Tomašić and the IRZ project manager responsible, lawyer Dr Stefan Pürner.

Ana Jolaskoska, a notary in Skopje, and Dr Lovro Tomašić then spoke from the perspective of the participating countries. The topic was then discussed from the notary's internal perspective, with numerous examples of notarial reporting obligations and recommendations for conduct.

High level of interest from the media

President Metodija Ristoski and Dr Lovro Tomašić answered questions from the representatives from the media and press agencies in the country in a press conference.

Panel discussion

Dr Pürner moderated a public panel discussion in the afternoon. This gave Ana Jolakoska and Dr Lovro Tomašić and now also Blažo Trendafilov from the Department for Financial Investigations the opportunity to highlight that the notary's office performs a vital role for society as a whole that goes beyond individual legal transactions, particularly with respect to money laundering.

The intensive working day provided a collegial exchange of ideas and also raised awareness among the general public of the importance of the preventive administration of justice.

The event format used the experiences of the pandemic

Both events were held in hybrid form, so that notaries who were unable to attend the event in person could also participate online and engage in the information provided and in the exchange of experiences. This enabled IRZ and its partners to significantly increase the scope of the face-to-face events.

Online consultation on the reform of the Penal Code in North Macedonia

Graphics: IRZ
Graphics: IRZ
North Macedonia

The German Foundation for International Legal Cooperation e.V. (IRZ) has been advising the expert group from the Ministry of Justice of North Macedonia on the comprehensive reform of its criminal code since 2020. Prof. Dr. Vlado Kambovski is responsible for the content of the weekly online sessions and of the work of the experts in general. The group is made up of about 30 legal experts from the academic and business worlds. Another organisation involved is the OSCE Mission in Skopje. 

As part of the legislative consultation by the IRZ, various German legal experts and legal practitioners prepared a large number of written expert opinions on the draft criminal law provisions on topics such as asset confiscation, corruption in the health sector, dissemination of untrue information, the Istanbul Convention and economic crime. 

After the expert group had dealt intensively with the individual expert reports, the online format enabled the direct involvement of two German experts on 20 September 2021:

  • Dr Mohamad El-Ghazi, Professor of Criminal Law and Law of Criminal Procedure at the University of Trier
  • Dr. Till Zimmermann, Professor of Criminal Law and Law of Criminal Procedure including European and international references at the University of Trier

The pair recently founded the Trier Institute for Money Laundering and Corruption Criminal Law (TrIGeKo).

The online discussions focussed mainly on the issues of money laundering, fraud, embezzlement and corruption. The consultation therefore revealed the advantages and disadvantages of an all-crime approach as well as legal-political controversies. The penalties for money laundering in relation to the penalties for predicate offences were also discussed, taking German and European legislation into account. It was helpful here that the expert group from the Ministry of Justice of North Macedonia had at their disposal a Macedonian translation of the German Criminal Code prepared by the IRZ in book form.