Strengthening capacities of law enforcement in fight against corruption focus of OSCE conference in Skopje

SKOPJE, 22 February 2019 – The Prime Minister, the Ministers of the Interior and Justice and the New President of the State Commission for Prevention of Corruption addressed a conference on the role of law enforcement agencies in the struggle against corruption, which was organized by the OSCE Mission in Skopje and the Italian Embassy today.

Clemens Koja, the Head of the OSCE Mission to Skopje, said: “Law enforcement agencies are crucial to the effective fight against corruption. So is the integrity of law enforcement agencies for the credibility of that struggle. We at the OSCE stand ready to support the ongoing reforms and the emerging anti-corruption architecture in the country.”

Zoran Zaev, the Prime Minister of North Macedonia said: “Corruption, conflict of interests and nepotism at all levels, are among the most dangerous threats to society and all its citizens. Society, individuals and institutions, especially those that are entitled to combat this phenomenon, should be able to recognize, prevent and punish all forms of corruption.”

The discussion explored how to strengthen the North Macedonia’s fight against corruption and drew on international experiences, which was presented by Raffaele Cantone, the President of the Italian National Anti-Corruption Authority (ANAC).

Carlo Romeo, Ambassador of Italy to North Macedonia said that the participation of Cantone confirms Italy’s strong commitment to supporting the Western Balkan countries in their efforts to prevent and combat corruption.

“Anti-corruption related efforts were the focus of special attention throughout Italy’s Chairmanship of the ‘Berlin Process’ in 2017 and specifically its Western Balkan Summit aiming to assist the countries in their efforts towards prospective European integration. This approach was also taken during our OSCE Chairmanship last year by appointing a Special Representative for Anti-Corruption,’ said Romeo.