Here is the converted article in markdown format:

Macedonia Partly Implements Recommendation on Political Funding Sanctions

Skopje, Macedonia - The Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) has concluded that Macedonia has partly implemented its recommendation to ensure the effective imposition of sanctions for violations of political funding rules.

Progress Made

In its Third Round Evaluation Report, GRECO had recommended that Macedonia ensure a mechanism by which sanctions are imposed for violations of political funding rules and that the sanction of loss of public funding can be applied in practice. While progress has been made, the authorities have only partially implemented this recommendation.

Amendments Introduced

According to a report submitted by Macedonian authorities, Articles 27-b and 27-c of the Law on Funding Political Parties (LFPP) were amended to introduce a sanction of suspension of public funding for political parties that fail to submit an annual report or publish information about donations received. Similarly, Article 177-a of the Election Code was amended to allow for the suspension or partial loss of public funding for election campaign organizers who fail to comply with their legal obligations.

Room for Improvement

GRECO noted that while these amendments represent an improvement over previous provisions, the authorities have not fully implemented the recommendation as some sanctions are still pending and the effectiveness of the sanctioning system is yet to be tested in practice.

Other Recommendations Implemented

However, GRECO also acknowledged progress made by Macedonian authorities in implementing other recommendations related to incriminations and transparency of party funding. The organization concluded that Macedonia has satisfactorily implemented 10 out of 13 recommendations contained in its Third Round Evaluation Report, with three remaining recommendations having been partly implemented.

Conclusion

The conclusion comes as part of GRECO’s monitoring process aimed at promoting the implementation of its recommendations on preventing corruption and ensuring transparency in political funding.