Skopje, 16 January 2024 (MIA) - The Embassy of the Netherlands in North Macedonia said Tuesday that Dutch Ambassador Dirk Jan Kop met with president of the Judicial Council Vesna Dameva. 

"Ambassador Dirk Jan Kop met today with Ms Vesna Dameva, the president of the Judicial Council (JC). Ambassador Kop is pleased that the JC is a legal entity again. It is now of high importance and urgency to start restoring the trust of the public and the international community in the JC," the Dutch Embassy posted on Facebook. 

Dameva, the post adds, gave an outline of the manner in which she will implement the recommendations of the EU Peer Review Mission in an transparent way.

"The Netherlands will now strongly consider restarting the project with the JC that was suspended in May last year," said the Embassy. 

Vesna Dameva was reinstated as Judicial Council president on January 4, following an Administrative Court ruling annulling the 2023 decision for her dismissal. Over the past period, Dutch Ambassador Kop criticized the Judicial Council, noting that the Netherlands was putting on hold a project related to the Judicial Council, which he said had become an illegitimate body. Also, commenting on developments in the Judicial Council and the actions taken by the body in terms of political pressure on the Supreme Court, U.S. Ambassador to North Macedonia Angela Aggeler said last year that the Judicial Council has failed to fully fulfil its duties. 

Photo: Embassy of the Netherlands