Regional Anti-Corruption Initiative (RAI) Secretariat organized a momentous event in Skopje, North Macedonia, on December 20, 2023. The Regional Roundtable, named “Bridging for Effective Asset Disclosure Systems,” united representatives from relevant institutions across Southeast Europe. Coordinated by the RAI Secretariat in collaboration with the State Commission for Preventing Corruption of North Macedonia, the event aimed to bolster collaboration and address challenges associated with asset disclosure systems in the region.

Welcoming participants to the Roundtable, Ms. Desislava Gotskova, the Head of RAI Secretariat, underscored RAI’s role in facilitating the development, negotiations, and signing of the International Treaty on Exchange of Data for the Verification of Asset Declarations. To streamline data exchange and the asset declaration verification process and to prepare for the effective implementation of the Treaty, RAI Secretariat has initiated a Blueprint in which the existing gaps and challenges in the current asset declaration systems have been assessed.

Ms. Biljana Ivanovska, President of the State Commission for Preventing Corruption of North Macedonia, extended a warm welcome on behalf of her institution. She emphasized RAI’s proactive efforts in developing a regional mechanism for asset disclosure. This involved a thorough assessment of the legal and digital architecture in beneficiary jurisdictions to identify key obstacles. The aim was to collectively find solutions at the regional level, to strengthen the exchange of information and mitigate challenges in the asset disclosure process.

The working session commenced with insightful presentations during the first session, titled “Asset Disclosure: A Tool to Prevent Corruption,” delivered by prominent RAI partners. Associate Professor of Criminology at the University of Trento, Mr. Andrea Di Nicola, delivered presentation of the qAID Project “Towards contemporary knowledge and innovative tools for assessing and enhancing the effectiveness of asset and interest disclosure systems in EU member and candidate states,” conducted in collaboration with RAI. In the second session, RAI experts, Ms. Irena Brzanova and Mr. Esmin Berhamovic provided an overview of outcomes and recommendations from the Blueprint. A significant focus was also placed on the exchange of views and expressing professional and practical opinions of participants, during the third session, with only one goal: to contribute to building an effective and efficient asset declaration system.

The event concluded with the official adoption of the Blueprint document, marking a significant milestone in the fight against corruption in the region. In summary, the “Bridging for Effective Asset Disclosure Systems” roundtable in Skopje signifies a substantial step forward in the regional effort to combat corruption.

This regional event was organized under auspices of the Regional Programme Southeast Europe-Together against Corruption (SEE-TAC) with the financial support of the Austrian Development Cooperation.

AGENDA