Approximately 30 judges and public prosecutors attended the cascade training on freedom of expression and freedom of the media, organised by the Academy for judges and public prosecutors of North Macedonia with the support of the joint EU and Council of Europe action of Freedom of expression and freedom of the media in North Macedonia (JUFREX). This is the second cascade training organised with the Academy focused specifically on the topic of freedom of expression and the internet.

Following the JUFREX methodology for training of trainers, the international expert from the Council of Europe provided some key insights on the topic of “Freedom of expression and the internet”. The presentation aimed to inform the participants about the development in case law of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), explaining the role of judges in developing standards concerning freedom of expression and the internet. The discussions tackled the fact that new technologies are changing and developing so fast, that very often the legislator is not able to adapt the law to their development. Moreover, European and national jurisdictions need to be coordinated in order to create conformity.

The local expert elaborated on the case-law and practice of the domestic courts in North Macedonia regarding freedom of expression and the internet. Lively discussions followed with the participants about the actual situation within the domestic courts concerning freedom of expression and the internet. The discussion aimed at finding solutions to improve the judicial practice in North Macedonia in line with European standards.

This cascade training contributes to strengthening the capacities of judges and public prosecutors from North Macedonia as set by the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and the ECtHR, aiming to ensure sustainability during the implementation and application of the European standards in their everyday professional work.

This event is organised under the Grant Agreement with the Academy for judges and public prosecutors of North Macedonia within the action on “Freedom of expression and freedom of the media in North Macedonia (JUFREX 2)” . This action is a part of the joint European Union/Council of Europe programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey II”, that enables the Beneficiaries to meet their reform agendas in the fields of human rights, rule of law and democracy and to comply with the European standards, including where relevant within the framework of the EU enlargement process.