Everyone has the right to lodge a complaint about irregularities and fraud, arising in the implementation of projects and programmes funded by the European Union.
A definition of fraud and irregularities:
1) “Irregularity” according to Article 2, paragraph 31 of Regulation (EU) No 1060/2021 of the European parliament and of the Council of 24 June 2021, means any breach of applicable law, resulting from an act or omission by an economic operator, which has, or would have, the effect of prejudicing the budget of the Union by charging unjustified expenditure to that budget of the Union.
2) “Suspected fraud” is an irregularity giving rise to the initiation of administrative or judicial proceedings at national level in order to establish the presence of intentional behaviour, in particular fraud, as referred to in point (a) of Article 1(1) of the Convention drawn up on the basis of Article K.3 of the Treaty on European Union, on the protection of the European Communities' financial interests and represent any intentional act or omission relating to:
• the use or presentation of false, incorrect or incomplete statements or documents, which has as its effect the misappropriation or wrongful retention of funds from the general budget of the European Communities or budgets managed by, or on behalf of, the European Communities;
• non-disclosure of information in violation of a specific obligation, with the same effect;
• the misapplication of such funds for purposes other than those for which they were originally granted.
Under Decree No. 18 of the Council of Ministers of 4 February 2003 on the establishment of a Council for Coordination in Combating Offenses Affecting the Financial Interests of the European Communities, employees responsible for combating fraud and irregularities have been designated in the "Territorial Cooperation Management" Directorate. They will review the reports of irregularities you submit, and if the validity of these reports is confirmed, the necessary measures will be taken. The procedure for establishing, registering, and reporting irregularities will be initiated.
Reports can be submitted:
- In writing to:
Managing Authority
Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works
Territorial Cooperation Management Directorate
1000 Sofia, Bulgaria
9 Stefan Karadzha Str.
Email: ma_ipacbc@mrrb.government.bg
National Partnering Authority
Ministry of Local Self-Government
Skopje 1000, 54 Kiril i Metodi street
Tel: +389 (0) 2 3 216 134
Fax: +389 (0) 2 3 216 134
http://www.mls.gov.mk/
Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works
Address: 1202 Sofia, Bulgaria
17-19 St. St. Cyril and Methodius Str.
Email: e-mrrb@)mrrb.government.bg
- Orally – by telephone or, upon the request of the reporting individual, through a personal meeting arranged at a mutually convenient time. (The employee receiving the oral report will document and register it in the record system and report it to the head of the Managing/Partnering Authority.) Contact phone number: +359 2 94 05 536
- Protection of The European Union Financial Interests Directorate (AFCOS) via the following link: https://shorturl.at/kbWSY
- The European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) via the following link: https://fns.olaf.europa.eu/main_bg.htm
Important:
Reports of irregularities can also be submitted anonymously. To constitute a report of an irregularity, the information you provide must include at least a clear reference to the specific project and a description of the irregularity.
When submitting the report, describe the observed irregularity as thoroughly as possible. Reports submitted here will be reviewed only if they are related to the implementation of projects funded under the Interreg-IPA Cross-Border Cooperation Programme Bulgaria-North Macedonia, for which the "Territorial Cooperation Management" Directorate serves as the Managing Authority. If you wish to report an irregularity under another program managed by the Directorate in its capacities as a Managing Authority, National Partnering Authority, National Responsible Authority, or National Contact Point, please contact the designated officer for irregularities to receive guidance on how and where to file your report.