Skopje, 11 February 2025 (MIA) - Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski told journalists Tuesday North Macedonia’s two-point drop in the latest Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) published by Transparency International was expected, while the report, he said, represents a good basis for the country to track its future progress and improve its position.

Mickoski told journalists the results of the report are “logical” and refer to the rule of the previous Government.

“The report is logical, and it is good that it’s only two points. I thought it would be more after all the abuses of the European flag and corruption scandals during the rule of the previous Government. If you note all seven criteria, you will see they all refer to the period when the previous Government was in power. I analyzed it in detail, and it serves as a good basis upon which we can start to improve our position,” Mickoski said.

The PM said he would task the relevant minister to detect weaknesses to avoid a repeat of similar corruption scandals in the future.

North Macedonia has gone down two index points in Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2024, compared to the previous year. With a score of 40, which is three points below the average score of 43, the country shares the 88th spot with Kazakhstan, Suriname and Vietnam.