November 10, 2025

Dear Supreme Court Presidents,

Let me begin by thanking President Sadushi and the Albanian Supreme Court

for being such gracious hosts of the 2025 Chief Justice Conference in Vlora. It

was a remarkable event where issues relevant to the region such as the

emergence of Artificial Intelligence in the courtroom, public trust in the

judiciary, and the challenges of case management were discussed openly among

the participating court presidents, and practical solutions were shared.

We extend our sincere condolences to the Albanian judiciary for the courtroom

murder of Judge Kalaja last month. Such an abhorrent act is a fundamental

attack on judges and judicial independence everywhere, and we all stand firmly

with the Albanian judiciary in condemning such violence.

We also want to announce the hosts of the Conference of Chief Justices for the

next two years. This was a difficult decision as we were fortunate to have

several offers to host from different Supreme Courts in the region. After

thoughtful consideration, we are delighted to announce that North Macedonia

will host the 2026 Conference on June 22-23, 2026. This will be the first time

North Macedonia has acted as host, and we are pleased they are willing to

undertake this responsibility. Conference participants should plan to arrive in

North Macedonia on Sunday, June 21, 2026. An official save-the-date

announcement with additional information will be sent by the North

Macedonian Supreme Court in the coming weeks. Please feel free to contact

Marina Mileva ([email protected]), who is serving as a focus point for

the Supreme Court in its organization of the Conference, with any

questions. Marcela Entlichova ([email protected]) will once again

be the CEELI Institute’s main point of contact for the Conference.

We are also pleased to announce that the Czech Supreme Court will host the

Conference the following year (2027). We will provide more information about

that Conference next year.

We very much look forward to seeing you all at the 2026 Conference of

Chief Justices.

Robert Strang

Executive Director