Advanced legal cooperation in criminal matters between North Macedonia and Germany

On May 5 and 6, a delegation of the Macedonian Ministry of Justice, Department for International Legal cooperation went to Bonn to visit their counterparts from the German Federal Office of Justice for the first time. During the visit, the Macedonian colleagues had the opportunity to get a closer look into the work of their German colleagues of Division III 1 of the Federal Office of Justice, which, among other things, is in charge of the international legal cooperation in criminal matters of Germany with the Western Balkan countries.

During the meeting, the issues of extradition and transfer of prisoners were among the crucial points of discussion. Moreover, the German colleagues transferred their EU experience in enforcement of financial penalties and their approach to participation in relevant EU agencies and networks, such as EUROJUST and EJN (European Judiciary Network). The two sides also discussed the matter of channels of transmission of requests, where the Macedonian colleagues shared their positive experience in direct legal cooperation in line with Protocol 2 of the the European Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters. Lastly, both sides stated that they are most delighted to carry on the established links of cooperation in the future, while planning an upcoming German visit to North Macedonia related to the conditions of Macedonian prisons in autumn 2022.

The project CSC WB strives to support the efforts of the ministries of justice and other judicial authorities of the Western Balkan countries in improving their bilateral legal cooperation in fighting serious and organized crime.