Skopje, 14 July 2026 (MIA) - The Government has adopted the Strategy for Combating Fraud and Protecting the Financial Interests of the European Union in the country for the 2026-2030 period, the Ministry of Finance said in a press release Tuesday.

The Ministry said the Strategy was drafted in line with commitments undertaken under the National Programme for the Adoption of the Acquis (NPAA) within Chapter 32 – Financial Control. The chapter covers public internal financial control, external audit, the protection of the EU's financial interests, and the protection of the euro against counterfeiting. Its goal is to improve discipline and transparency in the use of public funds (both national and EU funds), while also ensuring the protection of the EU's financial interests in the Republic of North Macedonia.

The Strategy was drafted using a participatory approach by the Anti-Fraud Coordination Service (AFCOS unit) within the Ministry of Finance, which involved engaging all relevant stakeholders and fostering cross-sectoral coordination and cooperation with institutions belonging to the Institutional Network for the Protection of the EU's Financial Interests in the country (AFCOS network), the bodies and structures within the management and control system for EU funds, and the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF).

"The implementation of the Strategy is expected to strengthen the prevention of irregularities and fraud, establish effective and proportionate anti-fraud measures, and improve tools and techniques for detecting irregularities and fraud. It aims to ensure timely investigation and appropriate handling of reported cases of suspected fraud, as well as to strengthen the capacity to ensure proportionate and deterrent penalties, appropriate financial corrections, and disincentives in cases of irregularities and fraud," the Finance Ministry said.

The national anti-fraud strategy was first adopted in 2019 with the aim of improving the legal, institutional, and operational framework for preventing, detecting, and combating irregularities and fraud in the implementation of EU funds.

MIA file photo