Skopje, 13 September 2021 (MIA) – Justice Minister Bojan Marichikj, who is paying a working visit to Strasbourg, has met with top officials of the Venice Commission. It was concluded at a meeting with Venice Commission Secretary Simona Granata-Menghini that Commission’s opinions are of great importance for the country, which aims to improve the laws. Speaking to MIA after the meeting, Marichikj said that several new legislations will be sent to the Commission to be reviewed before an opinion is defined. “We held a very important meeting with Venice Commission officials to discuss legislations already sent there and the ones due to be sent, including the law on asset declaration, the Criminal Code and the law on criminal proceeding. Venice Commission opinions mean a lot to us in a bid to make better and quality laws,” the Minister told MIA. Also in Strasbourg, Minister Marichikj, on behalf of the government, signed the Council of Europe Convention on the Counterfeiting of Medical Products and Similar Crimes involving Threats to Public Health (MEDICRIME Convention). “By signing the document, the government of North Macedonia demonstrates readiness to incorporate top standards from this convention into domestic legislations in order to protect public health,” the Justice Ministry said Monday in a press release. Enforced since January 1, 2016, the convention has been ratified by 18 countries and signed by another 17 countries. Marichikj also signed Protocol No. 16 to the Convention on the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, which regulates the possibility allowing courts in the country to directly communicate with the European Court of Human Rights on matters involving interpretation and application of the established rights and freedoms by the Convention.