Events

SKOPJE, June 26, 2013 – The Center for Civil Communications has announced today the Index of rationality 8 which compares prices by which different state institutions on central and local level buy the very same products and services. This eighth issue of the index is done for purchasing of work clothes, work shoes, benches, original and compatible toner cartridges, and for disinfection, desinsection and deratization service. The highest difference in the prices has been noted in purchasing of work clothes and the lowest in original toner cartridges: for work clothes, as part of the occupational safety and health equipment, the communal enterprises paid prices ranging from 1,263 to 4,956 for a set, where the highest price paid for this product was 292% higher than the lowest price registered; work shoes, ankle-high, made of leather, were purchased at a price ranging from 870 to 2,596 denars, where the highest price paid for the shoes was 198% higher than the lowest price; benches procured by the municipalities had prices ranging from 4,838 to 12,188 denars, and the highest price paid was 152% higher than the lowest one registered in the Index; original toner cartridges were purchased at prices ranging from 3,622 to 4,552 denars, indicating price differences of up to one quarter, while for the compatible toner cartridges the difference is even greater and is as high as 100%, since the price paid per toner cartridge ranges from 998 to 2,006 denars. for the disinfection, disinsection, and deratization service the institutions paid from 3,000 to 9,310 denars...

Center for Civil Communications, together with BIRN Macedonia and the Centre for Investigative journalism, SCOOP Macedonia launched a call for investigative stories on May 17. The call is part of the ‘Project for Investigative Journalism and Cooperation Between Media and Civil Society’, part of a USAID programme for strengthening independent media in Macedonia. In the first call that closes on June 7, at least five journalists will be awarded a grant to cover their expenses while doing the investigation and writing the story. More calls for investigative grants will follow, for a total of 40 stories until June 2015. Journalists will have about three months to dig deeper and research their ideas, but also will have the opportunity to work with experienced editors as their mentors to guide them through the process of writing to BIRN standards. Topics for investigations include: health; cultural policy; education and youth; human rights; EU integration; good governance; inter-ethnic relations; environment issues; marginalised groups; quality of life. The call only applies to journalists from Macedonia. Click here for more detailed information.

Center for Civil Communications, together with BIRN Macedonia and the Centre for Investigative journalism, SCOOP Macedonia launched a call for investigative stories on May 17. The call is part of the ‘Project for Investigative Journalism and Cooperation Between Media and Civil Society’, part of a USAID programme for strengthening independent media in Macedonia. In the first call that closes on June 7, at least five journalists will be awarded a grant to cover their expenses while doing the investigation and writing the story. More calls for investigative grants will follow, for a total of 40 stories until June 2015. Journalists will have about three months to dig deeper and research their ideas, but also will have the opportunity to work with experienced editors as their mentors to guide them through the process of writing to BIRN standards. Topics for investigations include: health; cultural policy; education and youth; human rights; EU integration; good governance; inter-ethnic relations; environment issues; marginalised groups; quality of life. The call only applies to journalists from Macedonia. Click here for more detailed information.

Center for Civil Communications, together with BIRN Macedonia and the Centre for Investigative journalism, SCOOP Macedonia launched a call for investigative stories on May 17. The call is part of the ‘Project for Investigative Journalism and Cooperation Between Media and Civil Society’, part of a USAID programme for strengthening independent media in Macedonia. In the first call that closes on June 7, at least five journalists will be awarded a grant to cover their expenses while doing the investigation and writing the story. More calls for investigative grants will follow, for a total of 40 stories until June 2015. Journalists will have about three months to dig deeper and research their ideas, but also will have the opportunity to work with experienced editors as their mentors to guide them through the process of writing to BIRN standards. Topics for investigations include: health; cultural policy; education and youth; human rights; EU integration; good governance; inter-ethnic relations; environment issues; marginalised groups; quality of life. The call only applies to journalists from Macedonia. Click here for more detailed information.

Center for Civil Communications, together with BIRN Macedonia and the Centre for Investigative journalism, SCOOP Macedonia launched a call for investigative stories on May 17. The call is part of the ‘Project for Investigative Journalism and Cooperation Between Media and Civil Society’, part of a USAID programme for strengthening independent media in Macedonia. In the first call that closes on June 7, at least five journalists will be awarded a grant to cover their expenses while doing the investigation and writing the story. More calls for investigative grants will follow, for a total of 40 stories until June 2015. Journalists will have about three months to dig deeper and research their ideas, but also will have the opportunity to work with experienced editors as their mentors to guide them through the process of writing to BIRN standards. Topics for investigations include: health; cultural policy; education and youth; human rights; EU integration; good governance; inter-ethnic relations; environment issues; marginalised groups; quality of life. The call only applies to journalists from Macedonia. Click here for more detailed information.

Center for Civil Communications, together with BIRN Macedonia and the Centre for Investigative journalism, SCOOP Macedonia launched a call for investigative stories on May 17. The call is part of the ‘Project for Investigative Journalism and Cooperation Between Media and Civil Society’, part of a USAID programme for strengthening independent media in Macedonia. In the first call that closes on June 7, at least five journalists will be awarded a grant to cover their expenses while doing the investigation and writing the story. More calls for investigative grants will follow, for a total of 40 stories until June 2015. Journalists will have about three months to dig deeper and research their ideas, but also will have the opportunity to work with experienced editors as their mentors to guide them through the process of writing to BIRN standards. Topics for investigations include: health; cultural policy; education and youth; human rights; EU integration; good governance; inter-ethnic relations; environment issues; marginalised groups; quality of life. The call only applies to journalists from Macedonia. Click here for more detailed information.

Center for Civil Communications, together with BIRN Macedonia and the Centre for Investigative journalism, SCOOP Macedonia launched a call for investigative stories on May 17. The call is part of the ‘Project for Investigative Journalism and Cooperation Between Media and Civil Society’, part of a USAID programme for strengthening independent media in Macedonia. In the first call that closes on June 7, at least five journalists will be awarded a grant to cover their expenses while doing the investigation and writing the story. More calls for investigative grants will follow, for a total of 40 stories until June 2015. Journalists will have about three months to dig deeper and research their ideas, but also will have the opportunity to work with experienced editors as their mentors to guide them through the process of writing to BIRN standards. Topics for investigations include: health; cultural policy; education and youth; human rights; EU integration; good governance; inter-ethnic relations; environment issues; marginalised groups; quality of life. The call only applies to journalists from Macedonia. Click here for more detailed information.

Center for Civil Communications, together with BIRN Macedonia and the Centre for Investigative journalism, SCOOP Macedonia launched a call for investigative stories on May 17. The call is part of the ‘Project for Investigative Journalism and Cooperation Between Media and Civil Society’, part of a USAID programme for strengthening independent media in Macedonia. In the first call that closes on June 7, at least five journalists will be awarded a grant to cover their expenses while doing the investigation and writing the story. More calls for investigative grants will follow, for a total of 40 stories until June 2015. Journalists will have about three months to dig deeper and research their ideas, but also will have the opportunity to work with experienced editors as their mentors to guide them through the process of writing to BIRN standards. Topics for investigations include: health; cultural policy; education and youth; human rights; EU integration; good governance; inter-ethnic relations; environment issues; marginalised groups; quality of life. The call only applies to journalists from Macedonia. Click here for more detailed information.

Center for Civil Communications, together with BIRN Macedonia and the Centre for Investigative journalism, SCOOP Macedonia launched a call for investigative stories on May 17. The call is part of the ‘Project for Investigative Journalism and Cooperation Between Media and Civil Society’, part of a USAID programme for strengthening independent media in Macedonia. In the first call that closes on June 7, at least five journalists will be awarded a grant to cover their expenses while doing the investigation and writing the story. More calls for investigative grants will follow, for a total of 40 stories until June 2015. Journalists will have about three months to dig deeper and research their ideas, but also will have the opportunity to work with experienced editors as their mentors to guide them through the process of writing to BIRN standards. Topics for investigations include: health; cultural policy; education and youth; human rights; EU integration; good governance; inter-ethnic relations; environment issues; marginalised groups; quality of life. The call only applies to journalists from Macedonia. Click here for more detailed information.

SKOPJE, 14 May 2013 – Today the Center for Civil Communications published findings from their monitoring of public procurement procedures in Macedonia for the period from October to December 2012.  Some of the key findings are: Legally prescribed e-auctions were not conducted in 40% of the monitored sample. In addition, in one out of every four e-auctions that were conducted, the opening bid was not reduced from the starting price. Thus, the effect of budget savings was not realized in most of the procurements. This is a direct consequence of limiting tender competition by setting unreasonably burdensome bidding criteria for companies. The share of annulled tenders in the last three months of 2012 was very high: 23.4% at the national level. Over the past four years, the percentage of annulments was highest in 2012 at 24.2%, mainly due to the low number of bids received on tenders. In the fourth quarter of 2012, a total of 408 contracts were made in negotiated procedures without prior publication of a contract notice, with an approximate value of 22 million Euros. Annually, around 65 million Euros have been spent through this procedure. The main reason for the increasing number of such contracts, which has reached the highest level of the last four years, is the inability to schedule an e-auction due to insufficient competition. At the top of the ten largest public procurement contracts in 2012 is that of “ELEM,” the State company for production of electricity, in the amount of 53.3 million Euros for excavating coal and...