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Conference of Chief Justices of Central and Eastern Europe June 22, 2026 – June 23, 2026, Skopje, North Macedonia Survey of Chief Justices We need your assistance in preparing the agenda for the upcoming Conference of Chief Justices of Central and Eastern Europe that will be held in Skopje, North Macedonia. It is important that the topics for discussion are relevant and important to you and your judiciary. The information you provide will be used in finalizing the agenda for the Conference. Please return your survey response as indicated at the end of the survey . Name, title and country: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ What is the best email address or addresses to reach you going forward? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ What are some of the most critical issues now facing your court and judiciary? Please list and shortly describe. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Would you be willing to make a presentation on a particular issue or challenge faced by your court, or on any of the issues listed below? If yes, please provide a brief description of the issue. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Please indicate your interest in the following possible discussion topics for the Conference (max 5 topics): Topic Very Interested Moderately Interested Not Interested 1. Public confidence in the judiciary - experiences in Central and Eastern Europe on public confidence in the judiciary and steps courts are taking to address it; possible new strategies for improving public confidence and court communications 2. Judicial Independence – appointing ethical, independent judges –ensuring institutional independence from the other branches of government 3. Fighting Judicial Corruption – effective disciplinary mechanisms, strong codes of ethics, asset disclosure policies, training 4. Techniques for enhancing access to justice 5. Domestic reception of law from International European courts 6. Cross-border transactions, litigation and information sharing 7. Extraordinary judicial vetting to enhance judicial integrity 8. Appellate case management to increase appellate court efficiency 9. Current and coming uses of AI in judicial proceedings and administration – Use of AI as a tool for reducing trial-court backlogs and delays 10. Judicial speech on issues of public concern The recent decision of the European Court of Human Rights on the free speech rights of judges, and its likely effect within the countries and courts of Central and Eastern Europe. Are there other topics or subtopics under this questionnaire that you would like the Conference to address now or in the future? If so, please list them. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Please email your responses to the North Macedonian Supreme Court ( [email protected] and [email protected] , and the CEELI Institute, [email protected] and [email protected] , no later than Friday, February 20, 2026.) Conference of Chief Justices of Central and Eastern Europe North Macedonia | June 22-23, 2026 Conference Agenda Day 1: Sunday, June 21, 2026 ■ 10:00 - 15:00 | Arrival of Delegates & Check-in at Skopje Marriott Hotel ■ 19:00 - 22:00 | Welcome Cocktail Reception at Hotel Day 2: Monday, June 22, 2026 ■ 08:30 - 09:00 | Registration of Participants ■ 09:00 - 09:45 | Opening Remarks Mr. Afrim Fidani, President of the Supreme Court of the Republic of North Macedonia Mr. Aleksandar Kambovski, President of the Judicial Council of the Republic of North Macedonia Mr. David Campbell, Senior District Judge, Chair of the International Judicial Relations Committee, USA Mr. Robert R. Strang, Executive Director of CEELI Institute Mr. Grzegorz Borkowski, EU Support for Rule of Law Project ■ 09:45 - 10:15 | Group Photo & Meet and Greet (coffee break) ■ 10:15 - 12:15 | First Session: Public Confidence in the Judiciary o Moderator/ speaker 1: Afrim Fidani, President of the Supreme Court of the Republic of North Macedonia o Moderator/speaker 2: David Campbell, Senior District Judge, Chair of the International Judicial Relations Committee, United States of America ► What is the current level of public trust in the judiciary in your country and what measures have your courts undertaken towards improving the situation? ► What steps are being taken to enhance transparency in judicial proceedings and to promote exemplary judicial conduct? Are court decisions easily accessible to the public? In what format? ► How has digital transformation (e-justice systems, online hearings, publication of decisions) affected transparency and trust? ► What actions by judges have you seen that have undercut public confidence in the judiciary and also what actions by judges can lead to increasing the level of public trust in the judiciary? ► Which other stakeholders or groups (community leaders, legal professionals, media organizations, educational institutions, civil society organizations) in your country can contribute to increasing public trust in the judiciary, and what actions have been taken to engage them? www.vsrm.mk www.ceeliinstitute.org  Conference of Chief Justices of Central and Eastern Europe North Macedonia | June 22-23, 2026 ■ 12:15 - 13:30 | Lunch ■ 13:30 - 15:00 | Second Session: Judicial Independence o Moderator/ speaker 1: Petr Angyalossy, President of the Supreme Court of the Czech Republic o Moderator/speaker 2: Valentina Pavlicic, President of the Supreme Court of Montenegro ► What are the most significant current challenges to judicial independence in your country and what measures are you taking to strengthen and safeguard judicial independence? How does public perception impact judicial independence? ► How do you ensure institutional independence from the other branches of government? To what extent is the judiciary financially independent from the executive branch, including control over budget planning, allocation of resources, and financial management? ► How effective are judicial councils or similar bodies in protecting the judiciary from external influence? ► How do you strike a balance between judicial independence and accountability? Safeguards against arbitrary removal or transfer of judges? ► What has been your experience with judicial vetting processes? What lessons have been learned? ■ 15:00 - 15:30 | Coffee Break ■ 15:30 - 17:00 | Third Session: Domestic reception of law from European Courts (Court of Justice of the European Union and European Court of Human Rights) o Moderator/ speaker 1: Mirjana Lazarova Trajkovska PhD, President of the Case Law Department of the Supreme Court of the Republic of North Macedonia and former ECHR judge o Moderator/speaker 2: Marjeta Švab Širok, Vice President of Supreme Court of Slovenia ► What impact do European-level jurisprudential frameworks have on the work of your national courts? How do you ensure consistent application across different levels of the judiciary? ► How should a Supreme Court balance respect for national sovereignty with the obligation to comply with international and European legal standards? ► Can you identify areas of law most influenced by European jurisprudence? Can you provide specific examples of decisions from European or international courts that have influenced domestic law or judicial practice in your country? ► Discuss a sensitive issue (e.g., migration, freedom of expression) where European rulings had strong domestic impact. ► How do the citizens of your country feel about following European judicial guidance? ■ 17:00 - 19:00 | Free time ■ 19:00 - 21:00 | Official Dinner & Cultural Evening Day 3: Tuesday, June 23, 2026 ■ 08:30 - 09:00 | Registration of Participants www.vsrm.mk www.ceeliinstitute.org  Conference of Chief Justices of Central and Eastern Europe North Macedonia | June 22-23, 2026 ■ 09:00 - 10:30 | Fourth Session: Current and coming uses of AI in judicial proceedings and court administration o Moderator/ speaker 1: Dr hab. Małgorzata Manowska – First President of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Poland o Moderator/speaker 2: Minka Kreho, Acting President of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina ► Are you using or planning to use AI in automating your court procedures? If so, how? ► Is AI being used in drafting court decisions? ► Is AI useful in terms of reducing trial-court backlogs and delays? ► Do you have restrictions on attorney use of AI in preparing submission to the courts? ► How can AI be used to increase access to justice by the citizens of your country, especially self- represented litigants? ► Are you revising evidence rules to deal with “deep fakes” and other AI-generated evidence? ■ 10:30 - 11:00 | Coffee Break ■ 11:00 - 12:30 | Fifth Session: Judicial speech on issues of public concern o Moderator/ speaker 1: Mimi Furnadjieva, Deputy President of the Supreme Court of Cassation of the Republic of Bulgaria o Moderator/speaker 2: Lia Savonea - President of the High Court of Cassation and Justice of Romania ► When issues affecting the judiciary become part of public debate, what role should courts —and particularly Chief Justices—play in responding publicly? ► How can courts communicate on issues of public concern while safeguarding judicial impartiality and avoiding the perception that judges are entering political debates? ► When judicial decisions are publicly criticized or misrepresented, what is the most appropriate institutional response from courts? ► How do judges respond to public criticism or high-profile cases? Are there appropriate boundaries for public speech by judges on issues of public concern? ► ⁠Do your courts have communication strategies, spokespersons, or protocols for addressing sensitive public issues? What has worked well and what challenges remain? ► If you could recommend one practical step Supreme Courts/courts in the CEE region could take to improve how they communicate on issues of public concern, what would it be? ■ 12:30 - 13:00 | Closing remarks ■ 13:00 - 14:30 | Lunch ■ 14:30 - 15:00 | Preparation time ■ 15:00 - 18:00 | Social event ■ 20:00 - 22:00 | Dinner Day 4: Wednesday, June 24, 2026 ■ Morning | Departure of Participants www.vsrm.mk www.ceeliinstitute.org