Skopje, 15 November 2022 (MIA) – The fight against this societal evil – corruption – requires the engagement on all levels and that is why all relevant institutions must undertake activities in their jurisdiction and increase their diligence. Joint efforts and coordination is the only way to concrete results, said Biljana Ivanovska, president of the State Commission for Prevention of Corruption (SCPC) at the event marking its 20th anniversary in Skopje on Tuesday. Ivanovska said no one should neglect the remarks by North Macedonia’s friends from Europe and the United States when they say that corruption is the country is present in all pores of society and a way must be found to shatter the political networks that enable corruption to flourish. “There must be real political will to stop these networks. Progress on this front is seriously lacking. This should be a strong alarm for all stakeholders and every victory represents a stone in the mosaic of a healthy society. I expect the messages from the international community to be accepted and the efficiency of institutions to increase by acting upon SCPC’s recommendations and initiatives, towards full closure of cases,” said Ivanovska. The SCPC president said that sound and strong institutions with integrity build a functional state and prevent emigration. Referring to the Commission’s activities, Ivanovska said a lot has changed over the past four years, with the institution becoming a synonym of independent, impartial and professional work. “The European Commission has recognized our efforts and positively assessed our work, compared to the negative remarks in previous years. Nevertheless, we cannot act alone in this fight. It requires the engagement of all institutions and them acting upon our recommendations and in line with their jurisdiction. The system is fully operational when all of its parts work,” underlined Ivanovska. President Stevo Pendarovski said fight against corruption is crucial in building a society dominated by political culture founded on the public interest, implemented by a public administration recruited in line with the highest criteria. “By attacking these fundamental values, corruption becomes the largest generator of injustice and inequality, thus representing the biggest obstacle of the country’s democratic development. Corruption generates injustice because it establishes a culture of impunity. Low level of trust in our judicial institutions comes as a consequence of the broad conviction among citizens that bribe is the key for the outcome of judicial processes or that it is impossible to go out of the judicial labyrinth without knowing ‘the right people in the right positions’,” said President Pendarovski. He added that real fight against corruption is not a task of only one institution and it should not last for only one term. “Fight against corruption is a permanent obligation for all institutions, for all three branches of power, of course mostly for the ruling coalition but also for the opposition, both at central and local level,” noted Pendarovski. Parliament Speaker Talat Xhaferi said the Declaration against corruption is not only a dead letter but a baseline for everyone. “It is a roadmap that we have to follow for the benefit of all. We are not here for personal interests. Institutions are not our personal institutions, these are institutions on which people focus their trust, their hope for a better tomorrow. We must justify this task and strengthen their faith that young generations will build their future here, at home. In order to do this, we should all seriously tackle this phenomenon that prevents the country’s progress,” said Speaker Xhaferi. He referred to the need for change of the awareness among the officials, the administration but also the citizens. “We have to be fair and say that corruption always involves two sides. We must set up policies, a system and measures so that everyone feels safe when saying ‘no’ to corruption loud and clear,” said Xhaferi. Deputy PM for good governance policies Slavica Grkovska said remarkable progress has been made regarding the Commission’s capacity, professionalism and independence. “I must regretfully conclude that corruption continues to be one of the biggest problems that our country is faced with. Despite the progress North Macedonia has made in the fight against corruption by advancing 24 spots on the Transparency International list, this is not enough. We must ensure a more efficient approach in the management of corruption. Today is the right time to ask ourselves what we need to change in our approach, what we are doing wrong, where we can be more efficient, what are our priorities,” said Deputy PM Grkovska. She encouraged the SCPC members to be persistent and resilient to the challenges they face in their work, since results cannot come overnight but step by step. “You have the Government’s support, but even more important, you have the support from the people, who no longer have the tolerance for any corruptive behavior. Citizens want swift and efficient response, and most importantly, they want results,” said Grkovska.