Opening of the Centre for German Law in Skopje North Macedonia
In the course of legal reform and EU harmonisation, every country must find its own path. However, drawing on tried-and-tested models can facilitate subsequent implementation and help avoid missteps. German law is particularly well-suited to this purpose: as a traditional continental European legal system, it boasts a comprehensive and well-documented body of case law.
This realisation has led to various initiatives in the Western Balkans to study German law and to draw on its experiences for their own legal development. Against this backdrop, a dedicated centre for German Law has now been opened in Skopje in the presence of judges from the Constitutional Court of North Macedonia, representatives from academia and students. To this end, the Faculty of Law at the ‘Justinianus Primus’ University of Law and IRZ organised a symposium on the topic of ‘Minimum legal standards: the example of the Basic Law of the Federal Republic of Germany and the Constitution of the Republic of North Macedonia’. This was initiated by Prof. Dr Aleksander Spasov, who has been collaborating with IRZ for some time.
In her address, Ambassador Petra Drexler emphasised that knowledge of German law could make a significant contribution to the harmonisation of EU law. Lively discussions followed the presentations by the former Federal Constitutional Court judge Prof. Dr Udo Steiner and the Constitutional Court judge of North Macedonia, Prof. Dr Ana Pavlovska Daneva As North Macedonia does not have its own law governing the Constitutional Court, a recent development in Germany attracted particular attention: provisions safeguarding the independence of the Federal Constitutional Court have recently been incorporated into the Basic Law.
The regional conference on strengthening trust in the constitutional courts in Ohrid, North Macedonia. North Macedonia
Particularly at a time when there is growing mistrust of state institutions, citizens’ trust in Constitutional Courts is of particular importance.
This was precisely the focus of this year’s regional conference, which we organised jointly with the Constitutional Court of North Macedonia from 15 to 17 September 2026 in Ohrid. The central question was: How can trust in the constitutional judiciary be strengthened?
The participating judges from the constitutional courts of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and North Macedonia, as well as the former President of the Constitutional Court of Saxony-Anhalt, Winfried Schubert, highlighted a wide range of areas for action in their presentations and practical reports. These include, on the one hand, conditions that must be met by the political sphere, such as the transparent and swift filling of vacant posts or, in North Macedonia, the introduction of the power to rule on constitutional complaints. However, the courts and their judges themselves also have a role to play. Examples range from exercising a certain degree of restraint when appearing in the media and when drafting dissenting opinions, to issuing comprehensible judgements and press releases. Incidentally, in the interests of transparency, the Constitutional Court of North Macedonia has recently begun livestreaming its hearings online.
During the event, the so-called Ohrid Dialogue was also launched. It is intended to further build on the outcomes of this intensive exchange of views at future meetings of the constitutional courts of the Western Balkans.
Once again, the nationwide media response in North Macedonia was enormous, confirming to us that the topic is of interest beyond the relevant specialist circles.
Macedonian delegation visits the e-Governance Agency North Macedonia
A delegation from the Agency for Protection of the Right to Free Access to Public Information (ASPI), led by its director, visited Tallinn from 5 to 7 November 2025 as part of the EU Twinning Light project to strengthen the right to free access to public information. The focus was on learning about the systematic publication of information on the websites of public institutions through practical examples, lectures, discussions and technical demonstrations.
The participants were impressed by the level of digitisation, automation and transparency at the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the e-Estonia Briefing Centre, the Information Security Authority (RIA), the e-Governance Agency (eGA), the Ministry of Justice and the Estonian Data Protection Inspectorate.
The Estonian interlocutors emphasised that the transparency of public administration was one reason for the Estonian population's enormous trust in their state. This is also reflected in Estonia's excellent position in the anti-corruption ranking. The Macedonian delegation is motivated to follow this path, which Estonia began more than 20 years ago.
The study trip left a lasting impression on the participants, as it demonstrated the great potential of digitalisation and transparency in combating crises of confidence in states and democracies. It can make administration more efficient, citizen-friendly and faster, and successfully combat corruption.
