North Macedonia, on its path to the EU, in 2023-2024 with continued Slovenian development assistance
Kliknite tukaj za branje prispevka v slovenskem jeziku.
To move forward on the path to the EU and achieve European standards in the field of financial investigations and procedures for confiscating proceeds of crime and assets of illegal origin, North Macedonia has relied on the knowledge and experience of Slovenia, which has been assisting North Macedonia in this area through international development cooperation and humanitarian aid programs since 2019.
In 2019, the institutions responsible for financial investigations in North Macedonia adopted the Common Guidelines for Financial Investigations based on the Slovenian experience. They further concluded that the Guidelines provide a good starting point for an efficient and effective approach to strategic and operational planning of financial investigations. In 2021-2022, the Macedonian institutions, with Slovenian experts’ support and cooperation, strengthened their capacity to put the Common Guidelines into practice in the framework of the project “Chapter 24 Assistance – Financial Investigations”. At the end of 2022, the Macedonian investigative and law enforcement authorities dealing with financial investigations took the initiative to strengthen financial investigation capacities in 2023-2024. With the development assistance of the Republic of Slovenia so far, they have achieved a significant mindset breakthrough and some progress towards European standards in the field of financial investigations. They are aware that they not only need to proceed with activities. They also need to accelerate their dynamics. Slovenia will continue to support them in this process over the next two years with development assistance.
A kick-off meeting and first consultations with representatives of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the Financial Police, the Customs Administration, and the Ministry of the Interior will take place in North Macedonia between 8 and 10 May 2023. Representatives who have received training in the past period will also attend the consultations. The reunion of Macedonian investigators with Slovenian experts will be an opportunity to discuss how to apply theoretical and classroom knowledge appropriately in real-life situations and cases, considering the criteria applicable in the EU.
Activities are funded by the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia through its International Development Cooperation Programme and implemented in cooperation with the State Prosecution, Financial Administration, Ministry of the Interior, and the Police of the Republic of Slovenia.
Further information:
Andreja Dolničar Jeraj
Programme Director
Centre for European Perspective
