HF III - Strengthening the capacities of the penitentiary system in North Macedonia
Building upon the results achieved from the implementation of the first and the second phase of the “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye”, a joint programme of the European Union and the Council of Europe, the Action “Strengthening the capacities of the penitentiary system in North Macedonia” assists the authorities in progressing further with the country’s prison reform agenda and enhancing the protection of the human rights of prisoners and detained persons. It is implemented in close cooperation and partnership with the Ministry of Justice (Directorate for Execution of Sanctions), Ministry of Health, Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Ombudsman’s Office, as well as other national stakeholders, including prominent civil society organisations active in the area of protection and promotion of human rights.
The Action will focus on accomplishing the following outcomes:
- • The provision of healthcare to sentenced persons, including mental healthcare, is strengthened in line with Council of Europe standards and best practices;
- • Prison managers and staff provide better support to inmates’ rehabilitation and reintegration, through systematic application in their daily work of the newly developed procedures and gained knowledge and skills;
- • External oversight and internal monitoring over the police and the penitentiary system are further enhanced, by applying Council of Europe standards and best practices.
The key Conventions for this Action are the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (ECHR), as well as the findings and the recommendations of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) and the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR).
The duration of the project is set at 48 months, and it is expected to be completed by 31 December 2026, with an overall budget of 950,000 Euros.
Project documentation
- Work plan from April to June 2026
- Work plan from January to March 2026
- Work plan from October to December 2025
- Work plan from July to September 2025
- Work plan from April to June 2025
- Work plan from January to March 2025
- Work plan from October to December 2024
- Work plan from July to September 2024
- Work plan from April to June 2024
- Work plan from January to March 2024
- Work plan from October to December 2023
- Work plan from July to September 2023
- Work plan from April to June 2023
- Work plan from January to March 2023
Fostering resocialisation and rehabilitation of prisoners in North Macedonia: EU and Council of Europe assist prison authorities
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Love behind locked doors: Supporting children and families in North Macedonia’s prisons
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Awareness of Article 3 of the Convention and the External Oversight Mechanism raised among judges, prosecutors, and other stakeholders in North Macedonia
Awareness of Article 3 of the Convention and the External Oversight Mechanism raised among judges, prosecutors, and other stakeholders in North Macedonia
Sixteen judges, senior prosecutors, investigators, advisors, and trainers of the Academy for Judges and Public Prosecutors attended the workshop aimed at raising awareness of Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights, and the External Oversight Mechanism. The two-day session, held on...
Children’s corner supported by the EU and the Council of Europe inaugurated in Idrizovo Prison
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Improving the pre-release preparation and post-penal support in North Macedonia
18 September 2025 – North Macedonia is successfully piloting the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) on pre-release preparation and post-penal support. Introduced as a novelty in the 2024, the SOP specifies the course of actions in the process prior to and after the release of sentenced persons....
Prison Police Intervention Teams in North Macedonia, enhance capacities on human rights safeguards and accountability
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Improving penitentiary healthcare system – North Macedonia’s and Kosovo* authorities exchange best practices
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North Macedonia’s authorities discuss the setting of a Standardized register of injuries in prisons
The medical personnel working in penitentiary institutions, senior officials of the Ministry of Health, and the Directorate for the Execution of Sanctions (DES) of North Macedonia reviewed the prepared analysis that aims at introducing a Standardized register of injuries. Considering its...
Prison governors in North Macedonia enhanced management skills and knowledge of the European Prison Rules
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High-level officials of North Macedonia discussed necessary interventions following latest report of the Council of Europe Committee against Torture
In a high-level meeting, senior officials working on prison reform discussed the way forward to address the key challenges stemming from the main findings of the European Committee against Torture (CPT) 2023 report on North Macedonia. The event was attended by the State Secretary of the Ministry...
Revising oversight procedures in North Macedonia’s prisons
Improving the prison oversight and reporting procedures put in place by the Directorate for the Execution of Sanctions (DES) of North Macedonia was in the focus of the working group that met on 17-18 June 2024. Guided by a Council of Europe international consultant, the DES oversight team visited...
Support for North Macedonia’s Directorate for Execution of Sanctions in setting framework for Prison Police intervention teams
A working group of experienced prison officials and senior representatives of Directorate for the Execution of Sanctions met on 20-21 May 2024 in Skopje, to discuss the regulations of Prison Police intervention teams. Introduced as a novelty by the latest amendments to the Law on the Execution of...
Provision of healthcare in North Macedonia’s prisons: first meeting of cross-sectoral working group enhances coordination at central level
The first meeting of the working group on enhancing central-level coordination for penitentiary healthcare in North Macedonia took place on 5-6 March 2024, bringing together senior officials of the Ministry of Health, the Health Insurance Fund, the Directorate for the Execution of Sanctions, as...
North Macedonia: preparation-for-release programmes are a cornerstone for successful rehabilitation of violent extremist prisoners
A Working Group (WG) composed of representatives of the North Macedonian Directorate for Execution of Criminal Sanctions and prison professionals from four prison establishments (Idrizovo, Štip, Skopje and Kumanovo) discussed issues related to successful disengagement, rehabilitation and...
North Macedonia’s External Oversight Mechanism stakeholders trained on effective investigations and reviewed their performance, five years after establishment
A total of 22 participants from the Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office for Prosecuting Organized Crime and Corruption, the Unit for Internal Control, Criminalistic Investigations and Professional Standards of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ombudsman’s Office, and three civil society...
Children’s corner and bakery oven inaugurated in Kumanovo Prison with EU and Council of Europe support
The 220 inmates of the Kumanovo Prison will benefit from the new bakery oven, and some 90 children will be able to use the children’s corner when visiting their parents and family members. The bakery equipment and the children’s corner, with a total value of more than €17,000 were provided under...
Healthcare in prisons discussed at high-level meeting with North Macedonia’s Ministers of Health and Justice
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North Macedonia’s penitentiary staff drafted a Training Strategy and Programme, group of domestic trainers trained on presentation skills
The final draft of Prison Staff Training Strategy and a relevant Programme were designed by a group of experienced staff from the Directorate for the Execution of Sanctions (DES), probation offices, and various prisons of North Macedonia. Meeting on 27 September 2023, they focused on reviewing...
Designing a training strategy for the penitentiary staff in North Macedonia
A group of experienced staff coming from the Directorate for the Execution of Sanctions (DES) and various prisons met on 29-30 March 2023 in the DES Training Centre in Skopje, discussing the first draft of the Prison Staff Training Strategy and related curricula. The team of local staffers...
Authorities in North Macedonia engage to further enhance pre-release preparation and post-penal support
North Macedonia’s stakeholders discussed the needs and specifics of developing Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) on pre-release preparation and post-penal support, which should be designed in the upcoming period. Representatives of the Directorate for the Execution of Sanctions, the Ministry of...
Execution of ECHR’s judgements and the functioning of the External Oversight Mechanism discussed at an roundtable in Skopje
The authorities in North Macedonia are committed to working closely with the Council of Europe and the EU in the process of execution of judgements the European Court for Human Rights (ECtHR) and to further consolidate the External Oversight Mechanism (EOM), which is protecting victims of human...
European Prison Rules
CPDL Highlights
