The 2021-2025 National Strategy for Preventing Corruption and Conflict of Interest and implementing action plan incorporates 14 crucial sectors, of which four, physical planning and urbanism, environment, agriculture and sports are included in the document for the first time, President of the State Commission for the Prevention of Corruption Biljana Ivanovska told a press conference on Wednesday.
“Priority sectors include public procurement and employment in public sector, while most measures and activities are focused in areas such as health, education and inspection services. 31 percent of the total planned activities in the strategy are planned to begin by end of 2021,” Ivanovska said.
Political system, judiciary, labour and social policy, economy and business, public enterprises, media and civil society are risk sectors, detected and included in the strategy, which was adopted by the Parliament on 18 April, 2021.
Ivanovska noted that for the first time such a national strategy was examined by two parliamentary committees – committee for the political system and the legislative committee followed by parliament holding a three-day plenary session.
“All MPs from the ruling majority and the opposition agreed that they are discussing a well-drafted document, which very realistically detects the risk factors, areas and sectors and gave full support State Commission for the Prevention of Corruption to implement the strategy,” Ivanovska noted.
After the Parliament is to release the conclusions, Ivanovska said, the Anti-Corruption Commission will take into account all ideas and suggestions from MPs in the further revision of the national strategy.
The coordinator of the adoption of the National Strategy for Preventing Corruption and Conflict of Interest, Vladimir Georgievski said that the strategy is a preventive and proactive tool in fighting corruption, which according to the new Law on Prevention of Corruption and Conflict of Interest is drafted by the State Commission for the Prevention of Corruption and forwarded to the Parliament, which adopted it on 18 April, 2021.
“Successful anti-corruption policy is part of the European integration process, and the strategy is the basis for improving the legal framework and undertaking reform activities in the future. After publishing the adopted national five-year anti-corruption strategic document in the Official Gazette, its implementation starts,” Georgievski said.
He added that stakeholders of all legislative and executive branches, local government, civil society sector and the media were included in creating the strategy and activities for its implementation.
“The implementation will be monitored through an electronic system, and the State Commission for the Prevention of Corruption will submit annual reports to the Parliament, after which committee hearings will be conducted, in which persons in charge from the competent institutions will participate,” Georgievski stressed.
Katica Nikolovska from State Commission for the Prevention of Corruption that 93 priority activities or 31 percent of the total planned activities in the strategy are planned to begin by end of 2021, adding that 110 measures and 184 activities have been planned to be implemented in the period from 2021 to 2025.
Most measures and activities that are to be implemented are aimed at the law enforcement sector – 13 measures and 25 activities, 18 measures and 26 activities refer to health sector and 18 measures and 28 activities relates to education sector.
