Prosecutors in Macedonia ask the Constitutional Court for a swift ruling on salary coefficients

The Council of Public Prosecutors, the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Association of Public Prosecutors have called on the Constitutional Court to urgently review the legal amendments that, for the third time, have reduced the coefficients used to calculate prosecutors’ salaries.

According to the joint statement, the Constitutional Court has taken no action for more than eight months regarding initiatives to assess the constitutionality of these amendments. This is despite the fact that the court itself had previously expressed doubts that reducing the coefficients undermines the independence of the prosecution service, as guaranteed by the Constitution.

“The inaction of the Constitutional Court not only calls into question the independence of the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the principles of the rule of law, but also creates a serious disparity between judicial and public prosecutorial functions, which is contrary to European and international standards,” the statement said.

The three institutions and organizations warned that any further delay in decision-making cannot be justified and risks making the institution’s functioning more difficult.

Prosecutors stressed that the salaries of public prosecutors in Macedonia continue to be the lowest compared with those in other countries in the region. According to them, the situation is further aggravated by staff shortages, limited budget funds and inadequate working conditions.