The purpose of the new legal solution is to strengthen legal guarantees for the independent management of the judicial budget, set at 0.8% of GDP, thus ensuring the financial and functional independence of the judiciary in accordance with European standards.
The draft law improves the jurisdiction of the Judicial Budget Council, which will have a significant role in the planning, management and supervision of the funds intended for the judiciary.
The most important news:
The judicial budget council will dispose of a separate and independent budget for the judicial authority;
It will independently manage the legally determined minimum of 0.8% of GDP and will decide on the financial needs of the courts and other institutions that are financed from the court budget;
The funds intended for financing the judicial authority cannot be reduced without the consent of the Judicial Budget Council;
The Council will give financial approval for the annual plans for employment and for the filling of jobs within the framework of the provided funds;
It will make a proposal - a decision for the value of points and the method of determining the salaries of employees in the judicial authority;
It will carry out centralized procedures for public procurement for the sole beneficiaries of the court budget;
The capacities of the judiciary are being strengthened through staffing, provision of human resources and capital investments.
These changes create the conditions for greater financial independence of the judiciary, which represents an important step towards strengthening the independence, efficiency and integrity of the judiciary in accordance with European values and international standards.
Link to ENER: https://ener.gov.mk/Default.aspx?item=pub_regulation&subitem=view_reg_detail&itemid=113467