Skopje, 9 December 2021 (MIA) – Corruption is unjust because it brings double standards, and eliminates equality before the law. It undermines the society, the economy and the state, while citizens pay the price, especially the most vulnerable groups. North Macedonia is making progress in the fight against corruption but more efforts are needed and putting words into action. This requires the engagement of the society as a whole, of each individual within institutions and all political stakeholders, heard a conference on International Anti-Corruption Day in Skopje on Thursday. “The generally accepted definition of corruption is abuse of entrusted power or office for personal gain at the expense of the public interest. As such, it is the biggest evil for every democratic political system and society in general. Corruption is unjust because it brings double standards, and eliminates equality before the law,” said President Stevo Pendarovski. He said corruption, disrupts the economy, erodes trust in institutions, undermines the legitimacy of elected officials and slowly but surely eats up the belief in justice and efficiency of democracy as a system. “A few days ago I took part at a forum on child poverty and the research presented at the event shows that neither the one who is subjected to corruption nor the one who corrupts pay the price. The most vulnerable members of society – poor children, vulnerable families, single mothers – pay the highest price. Young people are also victims of corruption, because they cannot get a job, but also the qualified staff not properly paid for their work, the pensioners not having enough money for medicines and proper medical care,” added Pendarovski. He said corruption weakens the state, makes people poorer, compromises democratic institutions, while the fact there is still a culture of impunity and absence of public shaming reinforces it. “A way out of this spiral requires investments in a culture of responsibility, transparency and integrity. We need a system that reduces possibilities for corruption and one that makes corruption socially and personally unacceptable. We can achieve this only if the price for corruption is paid by those who deserve it,” underlined Pendarovski. Parliament Speaker Talat Xhaferi said improper and corruptive management of public resources is harmful for everyone in the country, but also for its development, especially in time of recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. “The Parliament will continue to be transparent and constructive, foster a culture of partisan dialogue, because this is the only way to jointly lead the battle against corruption and have effective, accountable and transparent institutions,” said Xhaferi. United States Ambassador Kate Marie Byrnes said corruption supports instability and demoralizes citizens by underlining their faith in democratic processes. “We need efforts to uproot corruption, but words must be put into action in order to attain tangible results. This requires accountable institutions that respond to the people’s needs, but also efforts by the society as a whole,” noted Ambassador Byrnes. She added that North Macedonia is making progress in the fight against corruption and increasing transparency, but more dialogue and intolerance for corruption are required. Julian Vassallo, Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to Skopje, said corruption is the key problem that almost all countries across the globe cope with. “It violates the rule of law, economic development, people’s wellbeing. Therefore, everyone in the society must work and cooperate towards its uprooting. The National Strategy and its Action Plan are beneficial in guiding institutions but much more is needed. Efforts must be tireless and we must push forward if we want to see structural changes,” said Vassallo. Deputy PM for the fight against corruption, sustainable development and human resources Ljupcho Nikolovski agreed on the need for joint struggle and perseverance of all stakeholders in society. “We will make it only if we join with all of our capacities, without hesitation, decisively implement difficult reforms and change our habits, apply laws equally for everyone, everywhere,” said Nikolovski. A draft-declaration has been submitted to the Parliament Speaker on a broad front in the fight against corruption. “We expect all relevant political parties to support this declaration, so that we all create a society where laws, measures and regulations are respected and implemented, while those violating them are held accountable,” underlined Nikolovski.