Skopje, 11 February 2025 (MIA) - In the latest Transparency International report, North Macedonia's Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) score is 40, down two points compared to 2023 and seeing a drop of 12 spots to rank 88th. According to Transparency International Macedonia chair Blagoja Pandovski, the large number of scandals that shook the country, especially in the judiciary, the significant number of unresolved cases of high corruption, considerable number of undemocratic processes, as well as the lack of transparency of certain institutions have contributed to all this. 

The CPI 2024, Pandovski noted, shows that the country is again far below a score of 50, which is less than half of the maximum achievable score of 100, therefore showing a critical level of corruption. 

"These negative results are a consequence of the large number of scandals over the past year, especially in the area of ​​the judiciary, the Judicial Council and the Academy of Judges and Public Prosecutors. The impunity of high-level corruption related to public officials, indications of political influence in the judiciary, the poor control of the Judicial Council over judges and the 40 recommendations of the EU peer review mission report, as well as the violation of the law with the selection of candidates for the Academy of Judges and Public Prosecutors during elections, are just some of the scandals that shook the judiciary. Last year, we also had a proven case of corruption of a supreme court judge, dismissal of a criminal court judge from the Kavadarci-based court who had spoken 97 times with a defendant he was trying, and several other cases that only scratch the surface of the judiciary which citizens clearly do not trust," said Pandovski. 

The situation is similar in terms of the Prosecutor's Office, he continued, which is not up to speed on prosecuting high-level corruption and does not process motions submitted by the State Commission for the Prevention of Corruption.

"The first step in the long journey in the fight against corruption is liability for corruption offences and general prevention. Until this is achieved, we cannot expect positive results in the Corruption Perceptions Index," Pandovski said.

Of the countries in the region, only Slovenia, Kosovo and Albania see progress in the CPI 2024, whereas North Macedonia, Bulgaria, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro are seeing a drop in index points and ranking. 

Greece has the best score of 49 index points in the 59th spot, while Bosnia and Herzegovina has the lowest ranking in the 114th spot with 33 index points, seeing a drop of two index points since 2023.

Albania sees the highest score change in the region of five points up since 2023, ranking in the 80th spot with a score of 42. Kosovo also sees progress of three points, ranking in the 73rd spot with a score of 44 index points.  

Serbia is down one index point, ranked 105th with a score of 35 index points. Croatia also sees a drop of three points and is ranked 63rd with a score of 47 points. Bulgaria is down two points since 2023, ranking in the 76th spot with a score of 43. With no score change, Montenegro is ranked 65th with 46 index points. 

The CPI is a composite indicator drawing upon 13 data sources. The latest data for the country comes from seven sources, six of which include data from the previous two years. 

North Macedonia's CPI 2024 score is 40 points in the 88th spot, while in the 2022 report the country's score was also 40 points in the 85th spot. In the CPI 2023 report, the country was up nine places compared to the previous year, with a score of 42 points. However, according to Pandovski, last year there were six relevant sources for the country, and this year there was one more, i.e. seven, which certainly affects this average and the drop of two points. 

Corruption and the climate crisis are in the focus of Transparency International's CPI 2024. 

"Transparency International has made an effort to put the climate crisis in its focus, because corruption in this area affects us all. Corruption in the judiciary and some areas that concern a certain country, affect that certain country, but global pollution and climate change, which are a global issue in general, affect all countries, and the countries that have the most share in it, their results, i.e. failures to deal with corruption in the energy sector, climate crises, have an effect on the entire world," Pandovski noted. 

In the CPI 2024, 95 countries are non-democratic regimes, 50 countries are flawed democracies, and only 24 countries are full democracies. 

With a score of 40, which is three below the average score of 43, North Macedonia shares the 88th spot with Kazakhstan, Suriname and Vietnam.  

Denmark continues to head the ranking with a score of 90. Finland follows closely with a score of 88 and Singapore with a score of 84. South Sudan is at the bottom of the index with a score of 8, closely following Somalia with a score of 9 and Venezuela with a score of 10. 

North Macedonia is within the Eastern Europe and Central Asia region, which is the second-lowest performing region on the CPI, with an average score of 35.

The CPI 2024 shows that corruption is a dangerous problem in every part of the world, but change for the better is happening in many countries. 

While 32 countries have significantly reduced their corruption levels since 2012, there’s still a huge amount of work to be done – 148 countries have stayed stagnant or gotten worse during the same period. The global average of 43 has also stood still for years, while over two-thirds of countries score below 50. Billions of people live in countries where corruption destroys lives and undermines human rights. 

The CPI ranks 180 countries and territories worldwide by their perceived levels of public sector corruption. The results are given on a scale of 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean). 

Photo: MIA