The Center for Legal Research and Analysis in the period from November 2019 to January 2021 implemented the project “Supporting the Judicial Council in establishing Quality System for Evaluation of Judges”, financially supported by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The project aimed to support the Judicial Council in the implementation of the Law on Judicial Council of North Macedonia by drafting bylaws-methodology with indicators of complexity of cases and a rulebook to determining the fulfillment of qualitative criteria for evaluation of judges.
During the project extensive consultations were conducted with judges through direct meetings and structured surveys with judges from the basis courts with basic an extended jurisdiction, the Appellate courts, the Supreme Court of North Macedonia, the Administrative and the Higher Administrative court. The consultation process helped to identify the different forms of action in the courts that are the basis for determining the complexity of cases and the scope of work of judges. Additionally, indicators were identified for determining the fulfillment of the quality criteria of court proceedings, by elaborating the evaluation of the judge’s ability to argue, the judge’s readiness to conduct a hearing, the quality of composing the minutes of the procedure and hearing of the parties, the judge’s readiness for procedural decision making and ability to resolve conflicts.
The rulebook for determining the fulfillment of the qualitative criteria for evaluation of judges prepared in accordance with Article 81 of the Law on Judicial Court was adopted on 21.12.2020 by the Judicial Council of North Macedonia. On 20.05.2021 in the Supreme Court of North Macedonia at the general session of judges was adopted a positive meaning regarding the proposed methodology with indicators of the complexity of cases prepared in accordance with Article 85 paragraph 1 of the Law on the Judicial Council.
The bylaws aim to improve the independence and the professional conduct of judges, and contains standards for evaluating and improving the quality of judges’ work. Within the project additionally were developed forms for determining the fulfillment of the qualitative criteria for the work of judges and guidelines for calculating the coefficients of complexity of court cases that are intended to support the Judicial Council in the proper implementation of bylaws.