Skopje, 12 January 2026 (MIA) — The newly proposed law amending the Criminal Code passed its first reading in Parliament earlier Monday, after all 69 lawmakers at the session approved of the new bill.

The new bill will annul the controversial amendments to the Criminal Code adopted in September 2023, which primarily targeted crimes against official duty and criminal association and which reduced penalties and shortened statutes of limitation, leading to the expiry of many high-profile corruption cases.

According to the proponents, the new amendments to the Criminal Code will eliminate any future harmful consequences of the September 2023 amendments. The new bill was also drafted to meet European and international standards.

Previously, the European Commission noted the adoption of the September 2023 amendments in its 2023 Rule of Law Report, identifying concerns about the weakening legal framework for corruption. The EC's 2024 Rule of Law Report reiterated that the September 2023 amendments to the Criminal Code had negatively impacted the prosecution of corruption, especially at high levels.

The Constitutional Court, as well, reacted unfavorably to the September 2023 amendments, and in February 2025 issued a ruling that set a six-month deadline for Parliament to amend the Criminal Code again.

SDSM whip and former Interior Minister Oliver Spasovski, during whose term in office as interior minister the controversial bill had been adopted, said at the session that SDSM would vote for even more substantial amendments to the Criminal Code.

"More amendments need to be made to the Criminal Code. We need to have a completely new Criminal Code. I hope we will receive such a proposal," Spasovski said.

Apropos of his request, VMRO-DPMNE's MP Dragana Bojkovska said a completely new Criminal Code was indeed in the works and she assured him it would impose stricter and tougher penalties. mr/