Foreign Operations Assistance: Macedonia

United States Department of State
Office of the Coordinator of U.S. Assistance to Europe and Eurasia
Foreign Operations Assistance Fact Sheet, April 2012 *

MACEDONIA

Recent Successes by Areas of Focus:

Peace & Security

• In FY 2011, USG programs trained over 140 officers and non-commissioned officers of the Macedonian military. With USG assistance, the Macedonian military and civilian leadership continued to provide noteworthy contributions to peacekeeping and coalition operation missions worldwide, including to the International Security Assistance Force mission in Afghanistan, with 166 soldiers serving there on a six-month rotational basis.
• USG programs enhanced law enforcement and prosecutorial capacity to handle the investigation and prosecution of transnational and complex crimes, resulting in the conviction of 20 defendants in a human trafficking and migrant smuggling case, the dismantling of an international drug trafficking ring involving the arrest of 29 people, and other convictions in high profile public corruption and financial crime cases.
• USG programs assisted the Ministry of Internal Affairs in making revisions to the 2009 Law on Internal Affairs that will allow implementation of the law’s improved incentive structures for police. This will make the administration and operation of the police more effective.

Governing Justly and Democratically

• BY ACCOUNT	FY 2011 ACTUAL	FY 2012 ESTIMATE	FY 2013 REQUEST
  TOTAL ($000s)	$28,203	$19,070	$16,445
  Assistance for Europe, Eurasia and Central Asia	$22,650	$14,000	$0
  Economic Support Fund	$0	$0	$9,812
  Foreign Military Financing	$3,992	$3,600	$3,600
  International Military Education and Training	$1,041	$950	$900
  International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement	$0	$0	$1,663
  Nonproliferation, Antiterrorism, Demining and Related Programs	$520	$520	$470

  The USG supported the Parliamentary Women’s Club, which advocates on important gender issues, promoting equal treatment and opportunities for men and women throughout Macedonian society. In total, 44 women legislators and legislative staff attended the training.
• To support court efficiency in deciding civil cases, USG programs trained 466 civil judges, judge assistants and attorneys on the amended Civil Procedure Law. These programs also equipped 80 civil courtrooms with systems for audio recording of case trials to increase court transparency and reliability of court records. Over 550 judges, judge assistants, typists and IT staff were trained to use the equipment.
• The USG implemented backlog and delay reduction activities, streamlined procedures, and court automation in the basic courts. As a result, the efficiency of the trial courts improved, with courts deciding 22 percent more of the cases on their dockets than FY2010.
• A USG program trained over 326 legal professionals on the adversarial criminal system and enhanced due process protections, which will be introduced when a new Criminal Procedure Code (CPC) is scheduled to go into effect in November 2012.
• A USG program led four municipalities to introduce 43 out of 47 civil society-recommended procedures for improved municipal services. An example of improved transparent practices is the organization of public debates with citizens about the municipal budgets.
• To foster inter-ethnic cooperation, the USG supported a summer camp, which developed leadership skills among 80 girls of different ethnicities, organized a soccer tournament involving members of all political parties to mark the 10th anniversary of the Ohrid Framework Agreement, and sent a group of journalists to a regional Social Media Boot Camp in Greece designed to help to reduce tensions between Macedonia and Greece.

Investing in People

• BY OBJECTIVE	FY 2011 ACTUAL	FY 2012 ESTIMATE	FY 2013 REQUEST
  TOTAL ($000s)	$28,203	$19,070	$16,445
  Peace and Security	$7,153	$6,010	$5,933
  Governing Justly and Democratically	$10,603	$6,670	$6,459
  Investing in People	$2,100	$100	$0
  Economic Growth	$8,347	$6,290	$4,053

  USG programs trained 8,651 teachers in information technology, math, science, and assessment; developed a new Work Readiness Curriculum; and built the capacity of the national Vocational and Educational Training Center and the Employment Service Agency. Over 750 students have enrolled in classes that feature the new curriculum.
• USG continued to assist the Roma in educational access, retention, and performance, including educating parents on the importance of girls’ education. As a result, 459 primary and 95 pre-primary female students benefited from USG assistance in FY 2011.

Economic Growth

• USG programs helped establish systems for e-tax, e-procurement, e-budget, electronic export-import licenses, electronic transport licenses, and on-line registration of employees, now fully supported and maintained by the relevant host government agencies. The e-procurement system includes e-auction functionality, which saved more than $10 million of public funds, decreasing the cost of public tenders by more that 12 percent. Businesses use these systems extensively: 7500 companies (12.5 percent) submit their tax returns online and 95 percent of all export/import licenses are submitted electronically.
• USG programs contributed to the creation of 2,131 new jobs, production of exports worth $57 million and the generation of $75 million of investment in the assisted companies.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
U.S. Embassy Website
www.foreignassistance.gov

*This fact sheet does not reflect Peace Corps funding or centrally managed or regional Foreign Operations funding that is not specifically budgeted for Macedonia.