The goal of the OSCE-supported regional conference that started on Monday in Ohrid, FYROM, is the exchange of best practices among anti-corruption agencies from South Eastern and Eastern Europe, and the discussion on the introduction of systems of integrity in public institutions.

During the event, representatives of national public institutions and regional anti-corruption agencies from Slovenia, Moldova, Romania, Bulgaria and Serbia will share their countries’ experiences on the application of integrity models and on their policies to prevent corruption.

The project is part of a three-year plan of the OSCE Mission to Skopje to support the implementation of the State Programme for Prevention and Repression of Corruption 2011-2015, in co-operation with State Commission for Prevention of Corruption and Transparency International Macedonia. The State Commission is expected to introduce a system to promote integrity in the national institutions through legislative amendments in 2013.

Ambassador Natalya Drozd, the Deputy Head of OSCE Mission to Skopje, stated that “According to the state programme, in the context of implementing good governance principles public institutions should introduce measures to promote integrity and prevent corruption.” Therefore, “the OSCE Mission to Skopje organized this conference to help identify the most suitable model for the host country, learning from the experiences of others who have already implemented similar initiatives in the region.”

Ljubinka Koraboska, the President of the State Commission said: “This regional conference will give us an opportunity to learn from renowned experts from other countries, and compare their experiences and opinions. This will help our Commission to effectively implement best practices in co-operation with local institutions and decide on the main elements of the integrity-promotion concept in our country.”