Bulletin, Volume 6

IN THIS ISSUE

Just two months since you have read on these very same pages an exclusive interview with the leading regional anti-corruptioner, the head of Slovene Commission for Preventing Corruption and Chairperson of the Council of Europe’s Group of States against Corruption (GRECO), Drago Kos, we present yet another exclusive interview in this issue. Yale University Professor Susan Rose-Ackerman, one of the leading experts in corruption, recommends what one government should do in order to be considered anti-corruptive. PhD Rose- Ackerman, who in particular studies the link between corruption and economic development and having substantial experience with post-communist countries, recommends establishing of an anti-corruption alliance, comprised of the NGO sector, businessmen, administration and politicians.

This summer is marked by another significant event related to the global combat against corruption. G-20 tabled the corruption on its last summit in Canada and set up a group that would fight this evil.

In the neighborhood, a poll of the ‘Gallup’ agency shows that up to 90 percent of respondents consider that business climate has plunged deeply into corruption, while 80 percent believe for the judiciary to be one of the main strongholds of the corruption.

In our regular analyses, we refer to the role of whistleblowers in corruption and organized crime. While this instrument is close to non-functional in our country, it has been frequently used in the United States and developed Asian countries. Two moments are considered vital for the functioning of whistle-blowing: institutions to really do something after being informed on corruptive activity and offer serious protection to good-will people who blow the whistle.

From Macedonia this issue brings an article on changes to the Law on Public Procurement, in particular the provisions that stirred up public fury-the possibility for the contracting bodies to delay the payment of public procurements for unlimited period.

Finally, we publish the results of our large poll, conducted in public procurements sectors of 138 companies, asking the employees about their experience with and problems they have been facing in the public procurement process. Unclear tender documentation and technical specification is the main problem for over half of the companies. High 43 percent of the companies have difficulties to collect their money from state institutions for already delivered goods and services.

This problem is expected to become more serious in the future as the legal changes will enable state institutions further postponing of their payment.

We hope for these articles to also contribute to better understanding, applying of the principles of good governance and reducing the misdemeanors that derive from dishonest and illegal work.

We also wish to once again extend our gratitude for sending your answers to our poll for advancing this newsletter, giving as additional impetus to offer richer in contents issues in the future.

The sixth MAK issue can be found here