Skopje, 5 April 2023 (MIA) – The results of the assessment of corruption risks have exposed the biggest risk factors which lead to the emergence of corruption in North Macedonia, as well as the areas and sectors in which corruption is most prominent, said the President of the State Commission for the Prevention of Corruption Biljana Ivanovska, at the annual conference for the assessment of the implementation of the 2021-2025 National Strategy for the prevention of corruption and conflict of interests on Wednesday. 

Ivanovska assessed that the fight against corruption continues to be a big challenge. 

At the presentation, attended by Deputy Prime Minister in charge of good governance policies Slavica Grkovska, EU Ambassador to North Macedonia David Geer, USAID Acting Representative to North Macedonia, Dawn Carmin, it was noted that powerful political influence, impunity, the lack of transparency, lack of digitization, abuse of discretionary authorities, are some of the biggest factors that lead to the emergence of corruption in the country. 

A total of 54 issues were highlighted, and 111 measures and 191 activities were proposed to the institutions in order to overcome the risk factors. 

Forty percent of all measures and activities concern the fields of education, health, and law-enforcement bodies.

The lowest implementation of activities from the Strategy’s action plan were recorded at the Ministry of Information Society and Administration, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Economy, as well as at the Health Insurance Fund. 

According to the statements made at the conference, the Ministry of Information Society and Administration has not implemented a single activity out of 13 proposed, the Ministry of Agriculture only implemented one activity out of 14, the Health Insurance Fund implemented only one activity as well, out of total 13. 

 “If we consider the fact that these three institutions together have 40 activities, which is around 23 percent of the total number of activities for 2022, then the low rate of implementation of the activities from the action plan is understandable,” said the SCPC. ad/nn/

Photo: MIA