Skopje, 19 April 2023 (MIA) – Fighting corruption together with other elements of strengthening rule of law is at the core of the EU enlargement process, a task in which state institutions, the Government, the Parliament, the judiciary must be protagonists and lead by example. But also a task for the entire society, for each and every citizen. In short, fighting corruption requires total commitment by the country as a whole. While we have seen some progress, the pace of reforms in these areas, in the area of the rule of law and the fight against corruption, remains disappointing, EU Ambassador David Geer told Wednesday’s working meeting alongside Deputy PM for good governance policies Slavica Grkovska focused on the progress of the institutions involved in the fight against corruption, and the fulfillment of the recommendations laid out in the EC 2022 Report.

Geer pointed out that the European Commission Report on North Macedonia from last autumn provides clear guidance on what needs to be done and where the priorities should lie, but so far, he noted, too little has been achieved.

“The State Commission for the Prevention of Corruption and the State Audit Authority are doing important work, however the various recommendations by these bodies on specific cases are often not acted upon. Also, the level of implementation of the Strategy for Fight against Corruption remains insufficient, to say the least, 10% in the last year’s report of the state commission. In this strategy, there are clear and precise tasks and mandates for each institution present in this room. Translating good intentions into deeds requires joint hard work and mutual support. You can count on us for that support. Along with the strong political commitment, starting from the highest level and across institutions, which of course means increased efforts by the governments, the ministries, the municipalities and state institutions to act upon these recommendations. But Parliament also has its role to play. The fact that it has yet to discuss the previous report by the State Commission for the Prevention of Corruption on 2021 implementation of the National Strategy is discouraging,” said Geer.

According to him, progress should be made in strengthening the anti-corruption legal framework and its implementation. Here, Government, opposition and Parliament need to work together.

“Sound enforcement of anti-corruption frameworks is also critical. The consolidation of the track record proactive investigations, prosecutions and final convictions in the fight against corruption at all levels, and in serious and organized crime, must remain the key objective of the country on its EU path, especially now that some important judicial cases are being affected by the statute of limitations,” EU Ambassador Geer said.  

He stressed that the judiciary has a key role to play in the fight against corruption, and therefore needs to be independent and professional, with judges and prosecutors acting with integrity, free from political pressure or financial incentives.

“The judiciary, in short, that will regain public trust,” said the Head of the EU Delegation.

The latest country report notes some progress with regard to the Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office for the Prosecution of Organized Crime and Corruption. This is needed, according to Geer, to increase the number of final convictions for high corruption cases including confiscation of illegal assets.

In addition, the EU Ambassador highlighted the key role that civil society organizations, the media and ordinary citizens have to play in being a watchdog.

“The European Union and its member states have invested a lot to support the rule of law efforts in this country and the fight against corruption. It is now really time for North Macedonia and its institutions to deliver further tangible results, first and foremost for citizens, but also progress on the EU path,” said EU Ambassador David Geer.