The President of the Constitutional Court, Darco Kostadinovski LLD, and the Head of the OSCE Mission to Skopje, H.E. Kilian Wahl, addressed a conference dedicated to the topic “Enforcement of the Decisions of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of North Macedonia”, supported by the OSCE Mission to Skopje.
In his address, President Kostadinovski emphasised the fundamental importance of the consistent implementation of Constitutional Court decisions as a cornerstone of legal certainty and public confidence in institutions.
“Constitutional Court decisions are not merely legal acts; they are a guarantee that the Constitution is upheld in practice. Failure to enforce them directly undermines legal certainty and citizens’ confidence in institutions. Compliance with the decisions must not be left to discretion, but constitutes an obligation arising from the Constitution itself. Experience shows that the strongest mechanism is not a sanction, but a well-developed constitutional culture. In systems where there is a high level of respect for the law, constitutional court decisions are enforced without resistance. Where such a culture is insufficiently developed, not even the most precise rules can guarantee full effectiveness. Therefore, the issue of enforcement is not merely technical or procedural. It is a question of responsibility, institutional integrity and the maturity of the legal system,” President Kostadinovski emphasised.
In his address, Ambassador Wahl, Head of the OSCE Mission to Skopje, referred to the broader context of the implementation of judicial decisions, stressing that challenges in this area are present throughout the OSCE region.
“For the Court to fulfil its important role, its decisions must be implemented promptly and fully by the competent institutions. When institutional compliance is delayed or incomplete, the consequences are significant. Citizens may continue to face violations of their rights, legal uncertainty persists, and respect for the rule of law is weakened. The authority of the Court does not end with its decisions, but depends on their translation into reality. Without consistent implementation, neither the protection of rights nor the rule of law can be fully ensured and sustained. Strong legal provisions are essential, but they are not sufficient on their own. We must build a sustainable legal culture that requires and ensures that every decision is implemented accurately and consistently,” Ambassador Wahl stated.
The conference was attended by representatives of the Constitutional Court, international experts, professors, representatives of the OSCE and ODIHR. As part of the event, expert presentations were delivered by Prof. Slavica Banić LLD, former judge of the Constitutional Court of Croatia, and Prof. Javier Felipe LLD of the University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, followed by panel discussions dedicated to institutional challenges, comparative experience, and possible legal and institutional solutions for more effective enforcement of decisions.
The event forms part of the longstanding cooperation between the Constitutional Court and the OSCE Mission to Skopje, aimed at strengthening the rule of law and institutional capacities in the Republic of North Macedonia.
