The Independence of the judiciary is treated as external and internal. The external independence establishes the link between independence of the judges and the principle of equality of citizens before the law. The constitutional separation of powers and the relationship with the media are its key aspects. The Internal independence means independence of any judge in the exercise of the judicial function, without any kind of restriction, improper influence, pressures, threats or interference from any other authority, including within the judiciary, in the decision-making.
The impartiality and accountability envisages professional performance on the assigned cases and ensuring the integrity of the profession. Conflict of interest should be prevented. The system of allocation of cases to judges is important. The establishment and respect of the Codes of Ethics of judges and public prosecutors. Standards of the Council of Europe are established for the disciplinary accountability of judges.
In the area of professionalism, competence and efficiency the consistent system of training of judges and public prosecutors is crucial. The average duration of cases, backlog of cases, as well as the number of cases that are led for longer time are the key indicators for the efficiency. The introduction of new IC-technologies, judicial statistics and electronic access to the case law are also significant.
Survey of the public opinion: Independece of the Judicial Council of the Republic of Macedonia
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