On 6 April 2023, the main stakeholders of the Action against economic crime in North Macedonia came together at the first meeting of the Steering Committee within the new phase of the European Union/Council of Europe Horizontal Facility for Western Balkans and Türkiye. Attendees were presented with the objectives and expected results of the action within the Facility’s third phase, running from January 2023 to December 2026. Building on the technical cooperation results and ground established in the previous phases of implementation, the action aims to support the efforts of the North Macedonian authorities to enhance the preventive and repressive measures against corruption, money laundering and terrorist financing.
A diverse group of stakeholders attended the meeting, represented by the Financial Intelligence Office, State Commission for Prevention of Corruption, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Justice, Financial Police, National Bank, Agency for Supervision of Insurance, Securities and Exchange Commission, Agency for Supervision of Fully Funded Pension Insurance, and European Delegation in Skopje. The beneficiary institutions expressed their appreciation for the work within the previous two phases and identified additional areas where the action’s assistance was needed to address the recommendations of the Council of Europe’s anti-corruption and anti-money laundering/countering the financing of terrorism monitoring bodies and bringing the legislation closer to the EU acquis.
The meeting concluded with the national partners adopting the six-monthly workplan and affirming their commitment to continue working together to ensure the achievement of the action’s expected outcomes. The Steering Committee‘s next bi-annual meeting will provide an opportunity to review progress and discuss any issues or challenges to the action’s implementation.
This activity was organised by Action against economic crime in North Macedonia, within the framework of the European Union/Council of Europe joint Programme Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye (Horizontal Facility III), co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe and implemented by the Council of Europe.