North macedonia
On December 23, 2025, the Court of Appeal in Skopje upheld a landmark judgment holding the state accountable for systemic failures that left many Roma individuals without access to personal identification documents, effectively rendering them stateless.
The case, brought by the European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC) and the Macedonian Young Lawyers Association (MYLA), challenged the Ministry of Justice's failure to implement the Law on Unregistered Persons in the Birth Register. This failure resulted in the exclusion and discrimination of Roma individuals recorded in the 'Special Birth Registry,' who were issued identification documents that denied them equal access to rights in North Macedonia.
The court found that the Ministry of Justice committed both direct and indirect discrimination against Roma citizens facing difficulties in registering their civil status. It concluded that the Ministry acted negligently in its obligation to transfer persons from the special to the regular birth registry. As a result, these individuals were unable to exercise fundamental rights such as education, healthcare, social protection, and employment.
The judgment orders the competent authorities to remove administrative and legal barriers to civil registration, adopt effective measures to ensure equality in registration, and align national policies with international standards on statelessness. Specifically, the Ministry is required to initiate procedures for additional registration in the birth registry for all persons recorded in the Special Birth Registry who were issued identity documents, issuing registration decisions within 30 days from the date the judgment becomes final.
This ruling represents a significant victory for Roma rights and the rule of law in North Macedonia, affirming that the state can be held accountable for systemic failures that expose individuals to statelessness and confirming the judiciary's essential role in protecting vulnerable groups from discriminatory administrative practices.
