North Macedonia has received another encouraging report from GRECO, on compliance with recommendations in the Fifth Evaluation Round which deals with preventing corruption and promoting integrity in central governments. Out of a total of 23 recommendations, the country has fully or partly implemented 13 recommendations, with the rest remaining to be implemented until the next report, Justice Minister Bojan Marichikj said Tuesday.
According to Marichikj, this is a second consecutive encouraging report from the Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) – a body set up by the Council of Europe to monitor member state compliance with anti-corruption standards, which, he pointed out, speaks of the continuity of the government anti-corruption policies.
“The Council of Europe’s anti-corruption body concluded that the recommendation for making public the names and the amount of the fees of political advisers and ministers has been fully complied with, as well as the fact that integrity standards and rules are applied for all current and future advisers. In addition, GRECO welcomes that sanctions are provided or already applied for non-compliance with the Code of Conduct for persons with top executive functions. GRECO points out that the Government has provided substantial financial, material and human resources for the State Commission for the Prevention of Corruption, in particular for the development of databases and software solutions,” Marichikj told Tuesday’s press conference.
The anti-corruption commission, he added, operates under a new law and an increased budget, and has space to lead the fight against corruption, with the Government and the judiciary.
“We can see that cases are being opened and procedures filed, regardless of whether they are for people who are part of the ruling party or the opposition, and regardless of the level of the public office they hold. This should be welcomed, and it’s the only way to a fundamental change for the good of the citizens,” said Marichikj.
Moreover, GRECO is satisfied with the development of a practical guide by the anti-corruption commission, which provides clear guidance on identifying possible conflicts of interest.
“According to GRECO’s recommendation, it’s good that the Government’s Rules of Procedure were amended to make public the names of persons who participate in government sessions, and aren’t members of the Government. GRECO recommends that these rules are extended to also apply to those participating in boards, committees, expert councils, etc.,” Marichikj said.
The Group of States against Corruption positively comments on the amendment of the government decree for receiving gifts and, Marichikj noted, better management and keeping a register of gifts by all officials remains in place.
According to the Justice Minister, in terms of the partially implemented or not implemented recommendations, the Government commits to work on their implementation by September 2022.
