On December 7, 2023, Transparency International – Macedonia held the event: Cost-benefit analysis of the anti-corruption: What is the price of the fight against corruption?
The event was opened by the President of Transparency International – Macedonia, Ms. Taseva, the Deputy Head of the European Union Delegation, Mr. Ben Nupnau and the Ambassador of Switzerland, H. E. Véronique Hulmann. They referred to the support by the international community for Macedonian institutions and organizations in the fight against corruption.
After the opening remarks, Alex Holmes from Transparency International – Macedonia presented an analysis of the costs in the fight against corruption. Holmes emphasized that existence of a centralized database which will be updated promptly is necessary in order to have a better insight into the funds received from international community and their effective use in improving the rule of law and the fight against corruption. To improve the transparency of the institutions, this information should be publicly available. In addition, each institution should provide information about their implemented projects and their results. This will help in better coordination of funds and identifying the areas that require improvement. Having such information and databases will ensure that funds are allocated where they are most needed.
In the last session, the speakers Maxim Acevski, State General Auditor, State Audit Office and Aleksandar Krzhalovski, Director of Macedonian Center for International Cooperation, covered the topic “Usage of foreign assistance in the fight against corruption”. Mr. Acevski indicated that 95% of funds for their activities are funded by the international community. “The State Audit Office cooperates with 6-7 donors and we never repeat the same projects and activities with several donors.” He also added that the State Audit Office transparently publishes the amounts and names of donors in their reports, in which it is visible which donor helped and in which activities.
The director of Macedonian Center for International Cooperation, Aleksandar Krzhalovski, emphasized that the integrity of the person is particularly important for the functionality of the institution. He also noted that impunity reflects the dysfunctionality of the system.
The analysis is available here: NIS Pillars – A cost-benefit analysis
