Towards a Unified Civil Law in North Macedonia: The Path of Codification

Przheska, Tina (2025) Towards a Unified Civil Law in North Macedonia: The Path of Codification. CENTRAL EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF COMPARATIVE LAW, 6 (2). pp. 307-332. ISSN 2732-0707

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Abstract

This study analyses the development of civil law in the Macedonian legal system and the activities directed towards civil law codification. The development of civil law is examined through several stages that coincide with significant historical events in Macedonian history. In the first stage (from the 14th to the 20th century), Macedonia was under the rule of the Ottoman Empire and subjected to the laws of the Empire. In the second stage (first half of the 20th century), Macedonia was incorporated into the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, while civil law relations were regulated by the Serbian Civil Code of 1844. The third stage (the second half of the 20th century) is the period of socialism in Macedonia, when civil law regulation was tailored to fit the socialist ideology of working-class governance and a state-operated economy. The fourth stage of development covers the end of the 20th century to the present (the 21st century). Today, North Macedonia is a democratic and independent state oriented towards a free-market economy. Civil law relations are regulated by three basic laws, one for each branch of civil law: real property is regulated by the Ownership and Other Real Rights Act of 2001, obligations are regulated by the Obligations Act of 2001, and succession is regulated by the Succession Act of 1996. In addition, there are subject-specific laws regulating particular civil law areas. At this stage in the development of the civil law system, a process of civil law codification was set in motion by the Ministry of Justice. This study presents the activities undertaken from 2009 to 2025 towards the goal of codifying civil law, their effects, and initiatives for moving forward.

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