THE OMBUDSMAN MR. NASER ZIBERI MEETED WITH THE AMBASSADOR OF THE REPUBLIC OF FRANCE TO THE REPUBLIC OF NORTH MACEDONIA, H.E CHRISTOPHER LE RIGOLEUR

09.05.2025, SKOPJE

The Ombudsman, Mr. Nasser Ziberi, met with the Ambassador of the Republic of France to the Republic of North Macedonia, H.E. Christopher Le Rigoleur.

At the meeting, the Ombudsman thanked the visit and, at the same time, introduced the Ambassador to the structure of the Institution, the manner of work and the mandates that the Institution carries out. The meeting also discussed the challenges that the Ombudsman institution faces in its work, primarily from a financial and personnel aspect - the budget and the equipment. The Ombudsman, Mr. Ziberi, informed the Ambassador that these two aspects - financial independence and independence in the work of the professional service, under the Law, are key elements in fulfilling the Paris Principles and obtaining status A, which would make the Ombudsman a National Institution for the Protection of Human Freedoms and Rights.

The topic of discussion was also the competence of the Ombudsman in terms of respecting the constitutional principle of adequate and fair representation, in light of the decision of the Constitutional Court to repeal the provisions of several laws and by-laws, which referred to the employment of non-majority communities or the famous balancer. As the Ombudsman, Mr. Naser Ziberi, pointed out, in a system in which one of the fundamental values of the constitutional order is the principle of adequate and fair representation, there must be no gap concerning them.