Skopje, 28 October 2023 (MIA) – The president of the Constitutional Court of North Macedonia, Dobrila Kacarska, on behalf of the Court, signed a Memorandum of Understanding, establishing the Balkan Constitutional Courts Forum alongside the presidents of the constitutional courts of Bulgaria, Albania, Montenegro, Kosovo and Turkey.

Primary objectives of the Forum include facilitating regular and structured dialogue among the participating Constitutional Courts, enhancing the exchange of legal expertise, best practices, and jurisprudence among the Constitutional Courts, supporting capacity building and professional development of judges and court staff as well as supporting capacity building in the field of communication with the public, the Constitutional Court said in a press release.

In line with the Memorandum, the Forum members shall convene in annual meetings. The Forum shall organize periodic conferences, seminars, trainings, and workshops to facilitate discussions on constitutional law, constitutional adjudication, and new challenges in constitutional jurisprudence. The Forum may establish thematic working groups or expert committees to focus on specific areas of constitutional law and share research, analysis, and opinions.

The first annual meeting of the Balkan Constitutional Courts Forum was held following the signing of the Memorandum, which in addition to court signatories, was attended by representatives of the constitutional courts from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece, Romania and Croatia. The first joint conference was also held, where the participants shared the experiences of their countries and constitutions on citizens' access to constitutional justice.

The first meeting of the Balkan Constitutional Courts Forum took place in Sofia on Friday. Attending the forum in were President of the Court of Justice of the European Union Koen Lenaerts, Marko Bošnjak - Vice President of the European Court of Human Rights, and European Commission Vice President Věra Jourová.

The Macedonian delegation was represented by the president of the Constitutional Court, Dobrila Kacarska, judge Elizabeta Dukovska, the secretary of the Court, Aleksandar Lazov, and the spokeswoman Hristina Belovska.