Citizens of Macedonia are most pessimistic that anything can be done about corruption, i.e. it to be reduced or eradicated, and we are at the very bottom among the other countries of Southeast Europe on this issue. This is one of the main conclusions of the research of initiative “Leadership for development and integrity in Southeast Europe” (SELDI) in the framework of the project “Assessment of corruption and anti-corruption in Southeast Europe”.
– Pessimism in Macedonia is one of the highest. People do not believe that something can be done about corruption. From this we can conclude that what we are doing on this issue is insufficient – says Todor Jalomov from the Center for Research on Democracy (CSD), which conducted the research.
The most common form through which corruption is manifested in Macedonia are gifts, while in Bulgaria bribing is mostly done with money.
According to the perception of citizens, the most corrupt public officials are judges, ministers, MPs, customs and police officers. However, the perception that public officials are corrupt is prevalent in Southeast Europe, reads the report.
– Macedonia is one of the three countries in which citizens are most vulnerable to corruption – they would give or receive a bribe if they find themselves in such a situation or position. In the opinion of the citizens, Macedonia, along with Albania, is the least successful of all the countries in the region in addressing and implementing policies for fight against corruption – said Emina Nuredinska from the Macedonian Center for International Cooperation (MCIC), a member of the initiative SELDI.
