Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) president Marin Mrcela says the Republic of Macedonia has "more or less" met or works on meeting recommendations of the third evaluation round, MIA reports from Strasbourg.
"GRECO provided 17 recommendations in May of last year. Those referring to incrimination have more or less been met. What remains is an additional effort regarding funding of political parties. I know that Macedonia has passed a new law in this regard, which we will soon assess. I do not have any doubts in Macedonia's political will for settlement of these issues, since this can be seen in the way procedures are undertaken upon GRECO recommendations and legislative operations in the field of fight against corruption", says Mrcela.
According to him, the problem of corruption is not only present in Macedonia and the Balkans, but in the whole of Europe.
"Corruption is a problem that exists everywhere, no country is immune to corruption. It is the first item on the Council of Europe's agenda", adds Mrcela.
Financing of political parties is one of the areas where almost all countries have enormous room for progress. GRECO focuses on certain positions and practice, i.e. training, court rulings etc.
Mrcela says the state must demonstrate political will not only for adoption of laws, but also for their enforcement.
"There are good and bad examples in this regard, since even the best law will not produce good results in the hands of bad people. Therefore, the combination of good laws and appropriate people will lead to something good for citizens in the fight against corruption", underlines GRECO president Marin Mrcela.
GRECO was established in 1999 by the Council of Europe to monitor States' compliance with the organisation's anti-corruption standards. GRECO's objective is to improve the capacity of its members to fight corruption by monitoring their compliance with Council of Europe anti-corruption standards through a dynamic process of mutual evaluation and peer pressure. It helps to identify deficiencies in national anti-corruption policies, prompting the necessary legislative, institutional and practical reforms. GRECO also provides a platform for the sharing of best practice in the prevention and detection of corruption.
