Judges' association warns judiciary is on brink of survival
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The judiciary is reaching the limits of its endurance as a critical shortage of judges leaves the bench increasingly empty. The judges' association noted that the government has not held a competition for the Judicial Academy in three years, a delay that has turned a recruitment problem into a systemic threat.
The national budget has been revised downward, with revenues and expenditures both cut by 5.3 billion denars. While the total pot is smaller, the government is prioritizing social transfers, pensions, and health obligations, which are projected to reach 3.44 billion euros.
On the diplomatic front, Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski has proposed an action plan for minorities to be agreed with all 27 EU member states. He presents this as a prerequisite for discussing the constitutional amendments required to unblock accession talks. Domestically, the Pension Fund is reportedly storing citizen data without antivirus protection, a technical oversight that may prove as problematic as the political ones.