ERASMUS+, Key action 2: cooperative partnership (Capacity building in the field of Youth – Western Balkans). Training course.
Venue: Lake Mladost, Veles, North Macedonia
Dates: 1—6 May 2025
Czech team: 1 participant.
Please read the info-pack.
Hosting organisation: Institute for Applied Research for Business
Project report:
Hi my name is Lukáš, and I just came from the meeting of the multi-phase long-term KA2 project Digital vs. Corrupt, which took place at the lake Mladost, which is about 40 km away from Skopje. The name of this meetup was Corruption in Business and it was held from May 1st to May 6th and besides me there were 21 one participants from 14 countries (Czech Republic, Poland, Germany, Belgium, Slovenia, Bosnia, Serbia, Kosovo, Albania, Turkey, Italy, Montenegro and of course Macedonia) It was really very diverse but everyone had fun with everyone.
We stayed at the Hotel Glorius, which is right on the lake. There was also a conference room at the hotel where we met and lectures and workshops were held.
Day 1
After checking in, we just got to know each other after dinner and had a short conversation about what to expect.
Day 2
We drove to the town of Veles where we had a discussion with the mayor, a visit to the birthplace of Kochi Racine, who was a Macedonian poet who died as a partisan in WW2. Afterwards we had a very sumptuous feast in a local restaurant, which I enjoyed very much. On our return from Veles we debated our feelings about the town and the visible consequences of corruption. We were then treated to a fun activity that helped us define what corruption is.
Day 3.
We had a day full of workshops and lectures on various topics on corruption such as Transformative Safeguarding, The Human Rights of the LGBTQIA+ Community, Corruption in Business and at the end we did toolkits on corruption for different sectors of the economy.
Day 4
The program and training included a visit to cultural sites in Skopje. Among the topics discussed was the Skopje 2014 project, a large-scale urban renewal project in the capital of Northern Macedonia. The project aimed to give the city a new look, but the project soon became mired in controversy and allegations of corruption. The evening then saw a larger discussion on how to fight corruption.
Day 5
On the fifth day, a conference was held, where experts from the field came to share their experiences. Among them were Mile Boshkov, President of the Entrepreneurial Confederation of Macedonia, who gave a presentation on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), then Professor for International Cooperation, Ph.D. Zoran Flipovski, who presented his contribution on the topic of the impact of corruption on migration, which developed into a stimulating discussion, and last but not least, Zlatko Edelinski, Leading Advisor to Agricultural and Manufacturing Enterprises in the country and Founder of the Expert Council within the Entrepreneurial Confederation of Macedonia, shared his insights on practical problems that businesses face due to competitive advantage through corruption.
The Balkans has its own extraordinary charm and it was a real pleasure to spend a week in such an inspiring, enriching and friendly group of people, with whom we worked together on the important topic of corruption.
I would like to thank EYCB for the trust shown and the opportunity to represent the organization on this project, as well as EPEKA for the excellent preparation and professional organization of the entire program.
Lukáš S.
