Streamlining the Small Claims Procedure in North Macedonia: How Far are we from Digitalisation at National and European Cross- Border Level?

The streamlining of small claims procedures has preoccupied national and European legislators for some time. Unfortunately, what is happening at the European level and beyond, until recently did not find an echo in the Macedonian small claims procedure The paper will demonstrate that the overall direction of the changes in this procedure so far has been to expand the scope of application of the procedure rather than to introduce simplifications. The proposal of the new Macedonian Law on Civil Procedure is a significant step in that direction. In addition to this, the paper analyzes the operational options for ICT in the Macedonian civil procedure in general and accordingly in small claims procedure, having the phrase "Code is law" (and consequently "Code is process") as a starting point for discussions.The author concludes that the improved legal framework alongside with further investment in ICT in the justice system will probably make small claims procedure a good candidate for complete digital justice in a near future. Furthermore, the paper aims to highlight that the ongoing process of digitalisation and e-justice in North Macedonia gains importanace not only at national level but also for improving the cooperation with other justice systems, particularly those of EU member states.