How do you put corruption into words — and how do you make its consequences visible? One of DLDP’s partners, the Liberal Institute Skopje, recently addressed this challenge through a creative public action in Skopje’s city park as part of its EU School activities.
The action, carried out as part of the EU School program, aimed to demonstrate how corruption drains a society’s resources. According to the organisers, up to a quarter of public funds in North Macedonia disappear due to corruption and inefficient governance - resources that could otherwise have supported healthcare, education, culture, and social welfare.
“With this creative act, we wanted to show how corruption affects citizens’ daily lives. When a quarter of the budget is used inefficiently and corruptly, we all lose. Our goal is to raise awareness and drive systemic change,” said a representative from the Liberal Institute during the action.
Corruption is not only a moral or political issue - it is a tangible barrier to development. According to the EU, the fight against corruption is one of the greatest challenges in North Macedonia’s European integration process. Research shows that corruption directly undermines citizens’ quality of life, hampers economic growth, and weakens trust in institutions.
The action in the city park became civil society’s response to a political challenge: to engage citizens in the fight against a systemic problem that cannot be solved from the top down alone. Citizens were not merely presented with the problem but encouraged to contribute to the solution themselves.
Through the EU School and similar projects, the Liberal Institute is actively working to strengthen democratic awareness - especially among young people. They emphasize that the fight against corruption is not solely the responsibility of authorities and politicians, but of society as a whole.
“It’s about creating a society in which citizens demand transparency and accountability - and where people understand what it means when resources fail to reach their destination."
Since 2023, DLDP has partnered with the Liberal Institute as part of a broader effort to strengthen multi-party systems and democratic culture in Eastern Europe. The partnership is based on the idea that democracy does not only live in parliaments, but also in parks, on street corners, and among engaged citizens who ask questions and demand answers.
The action in Skopje is just one of several upcoming initiatives from the Liberal Institute. The organisation has made its position clear: the fight against corruption does not end with one symbolic gesture. It continues through daily educational efforts, dialogue with citizens, and the political engagement needed to create continuous change.