The latest proposed amendments to the Criminal Code of North Macedonia aiming to enhance safety of journalists and ensure freedom of media were discussed in a webiner with representatives from the Basic Public Prosecutor's Office. the Ministry of Justice and professional journalists, lawyers, prosecutors as well civil society representatives.
This is the second in a set of two webinars being organised in the framework of the EU and Council of Europe joint action on “Freedom of Expression and Freedom of the Media (JUFREX)” aiming to discuss with key actors in the field how to enhance the safety of journalists in North Macedonia
During the webinar, representatives of the Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Ministry of Interior exchanged their experience and views on how the public prosecutor’s office can contribute to a greater protection of media workers.
During the meeting, valuable input was provided from the international expert of the Council of Europe in the field of protection of journalists Jonathan Price, who shared key recommendations for the improvement and alignament of the provisions of the Criminal Code of North Macedonia in line with the European standards. In this context, the EU and Council of Europe are determined to support journalists in North Macedonia and enable them to better perform their role as a watch-dog, by ensuring freedom of expression and promoting a safe working environmental for journalists and other media workers.
The discussion continued with the contribution from lawyers and journalists focusing on the recommendations for the amendment of the Criminal Code in North Macedonia aiming to achieve greater protection for media workers and prevention of attacks on them. In the coming months, the Association of journalists of Macedonia, as civil organization will continue its activities in this field and will apply the acquired knowledge and exchanged experiences from this webinar in fulfilling its agenda for ensuring the protection of journalists under the Criminal Code.
This thematic webinar was organised under the EU & Council of Europe joint action “Freedom of Expression and Freedom of the Media in North Macedonia (JUFREX)” in cooperation with the partner organisation Association of Journalists of Macedonia (AJM).
JUFREX Action is part of the “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey II”, a joint EU and Council of Europe programme implemented by the Council of Europe, which aims at assisting Beneficiaries in the Western Balkans region and Turkey to comply with the Council of Europe standards and European Union acquis in the framework of the enlargement process, where relevant.
