Objectives
* To improve the capacities of justice institutions to deliver justice in transparent and accountable manner;
* To strengthen the capacities to effectively implement modern investigation techniques in fighting organised crime;
* To improve the prevention and fight against corruption;
* To enhance the protection of fundamental rights

Among financed actions
* Component 1: Improving the capacities of judicial/justice institutions to deliver justice in transparent and accountable manner
– Strategic advisory support to the actors in the judicial system, including the Judicial Council, Council of Public Prosecutors, Public Prosecution Office (PPO), prosecutors, judges, legal associates/prosecution and court clerks, and Judicial Budget Council;
– Following an analysis of the challenges in the justice process and outcome, strengthening of the justice chain and the enforcement process in the civil, commercial and administrative justice;
– Support the ICT Council for the Judiciary for the implementation of the ICT Strategy for the Judiciary;
– Strengthening the capacities of the Academy for Judges and Prosecutors to deliver high quality training for judges/prosecutors and their legal associates;
– Improving the management and monitoring of the justice reforms

* Component 2: Stronger capacity to effectively implement modern investigation techniques in fighting organised crime and terrorism
– Improving the investigation capacity with a focus on complex criminal and financial investigations including economic, financial, banking, customs, cyber and other forms of crime;
– Strengthening of Intelligence-led policing and improving the capacity for analysis of the criminal environment through streamlining a uniform information management on current crime trends and enhancing the risk analysis system;
– Improving the use of special investigative measures in criminal investigation in compliance with fundamental rights and freedoms;
– Support to the National Coordination Centre for fight against organised crime to act as an effective coordinator and standard-setter among the law enforcement bodies;
– Improve the administrative and technical capacity for assets recovery and freezing and seizure management in line with EU standards

* Component 3: Improved fight against corruption
– Strategic advisory support for ensuring the independence, effectiveness and efficiency in the operation of the State Commission for Prevention of Corruption (SCPC) as well as methodological support for implementation of its mandate;
– Improving the control and verification of assets declarations submitted by elected and appointed public officials and members of Parliament;
– Enforcement of the law on lobbying and restrictions on gifts;
– Improving the transparency of the financing of political parties and financing of election campaigns;
– Prevention of corruption in public procurement

* Component 4: Enhanced protection of fundamental rights and stronger uptake of alternative means to detention
– Strengthening the capacities of the main human rights bodies to effectively implement their mandates, to adopt a pro-active approach in monitoring and analysing the respect for human rights, to investigate cases and act upon complaints of violation of human rights and ensure the necessary administrative and judicial protection;
– Support all aspects of the mandate of the Ombudsman Office;
– Assessment of the administrative capacities of key institutions for the inclusion of human rights approach in the creation of policies and their financing;
– Research analysis on identifying roots and prevention of cases of gender-based violence and discrimination of women, particularly of Roma women and women of other ethnic groups;
– Support the monitoring and reporting on implementation of child rights policy, preparation of National Action Plan for Child Rights, awareness-raising on promoting child rights and “child-centred” and “children best interest” approach, research analysis at national level to assess the child protection system and how the principle of “the best interest of children” is applied;
– Activities aimed to raise awareness on the importance and role of institutions and various human rights bodies to protect citizens’ human rights, as well as to increase the knowledge and skills on the rights based approach in creation of policies and planning of financing at national level;
– Further improvement of human rights in judicial and home affairs system (including with mainstreaming in components 1 and 2;
– Improving the situation of prisons mainly through the improvement of the probation system and alternative sanctions

Additional information
* This call for proposals is an open call for proposals

* Initial duration of the action: between 48 and 60 months 

* Eligibility:
– Be a legal person;
– Be non-profit-making;
– Be a specific type of organisation such as: a competent Government Department, Public body or relevant mandated body of a Government Department or public authority of a European Member State in the fields related to this action;
– Be established in an EU member state;
– Be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the action with the co-applicant(s) and affiliated entity(ies), not acting as an intermediary
– The lead applicant must act with at least 2 co-applicants

* Actions must take place in the following country: Republic of North Macedonia

* Grant amount: up to 12,450,000 euro

* Co-financing rate: 100% of the total eligible costs