Македонски центар за меѓународна соработка - МЦМС

“Transparency International” has ranked Macedonia on the 71st position together with Bulgaria, Romania and Greece, of the 180 ranked countries according to the Corruption Perceptions Index. Having in mind this fact, the fight against corruption is high on the agenda of the Macedonian society. In May 2007, the new State Program on Prevention and Repression of Corruption was adopted. Still, strong political will is necessary to undertake effective measures for prevention of corruption and building of the political institutions, political culture and citizens’ awareness. In the past, the civil society has played a significant role. However, in the areas which are expected to be addressed by the civil society organizations, such as the requirements for responsibility by the state, implementation of the laws, fighting against corruption and inclusion of civil society organizations and citizens in the decision making process, the activities are lacking or are just emerging.

The overall objective of the project is to contribute towards increased responsibility of institutions, civil society organizations and citizens.

The project purpose is to contribute towards policy analysis and debates on important societal issues with focus on fight against corruption.

The target group is comprised of civil society organizations, state administration bodies, media and citizens. The target area is the Republic of Macedonia. The project will be implemented in Skopje and other towns throughout the country, while the study visit will be realized in Sofia, Republic of Bulgaria.

Expected results of the project are: increased awareness of CSOs, authorities, media and citizens of RM on the corruption; capacity building of CSOs, authorities and media on anticorruption literacy; exchange of experience on the fight against corruption with the CSOs in the region.

In order to achieve the planned results, the following activities will be undertaken:

•    Publication of report on the corruption in Bulgaria
  In order to present the experience and the problems that Republic of Bulgaria has faced in countering corruption, the report “Crime without Punishment – Countering Corruption and Organized Crime in Bulgaria” developed in 2009 by the Center for Study of Democracy from Sofia, will be translated. The report provides an overview of the state and dynamics of corruption in Bulgaria as well as the anticorruption policies and initiatives in the first two years after the country’s accession to the European Union. The full report will be published on a CD, which will be an integral part of the printed version of the Report’s Executive Summary. The Report will be also available on MCIC’s web-site.
•     Anticorruption forum exchange of information
  In order to analyze, compare and discuss the findings of the report, as well as to recognize the corruption and the necessary requirements for successful combat against it, MCIC will organize a national forum with participation of Bulgarian experts as well as representatives of the civil society organizations, state administration bodies and other stakeholders. Additionally, local forums will be organized with the representatives of the local institutions and organizations, which will be introduced with the report and possible types of corruption on local level.
•     Training on anticorruption literacy
  In cooperation with the experts, basic program will be developed for one-day training for easy and quick recognition of corruption in certain areas, such as: civic sector, media, judiciary, education, public administration, etc. At least five one-day trainings will be organized.
•     Study visit
  Study visit will be organized to the Republic of Bulgaria, which is a EU member state. Participants will be ten representatives from the civil society organizations (members of the Civic Platform of Macedonia), members of the Macedonian Parliament, representative of the State Anticorruption Commission and civil servants (from the Ministry of Justice, the Anticorruption Unit within the Ministry of Interior) and the Public Prosecutor’s Office.

Implementation period: June 1, 2010 – December 31, 2010.

The key assumption affecting the realization of project objectives is the ability of civil society organizations and state administration bodies to recognize the importance of this issue.

The activities will be implemented by MCIC in cooperation with other organizations, local Bulgarian organization that will help with the study visit and experts that will deliver the training. The documents that will be developed as part of the program will be distributed to the organizations and state administration bodies and will be posted on MCIC’s web-site.

MCIC is fully responsible for the decision making and project implementation.