The tragedy at the “Pulse” nightclub in Kočani was not an accident or a consequence of a single institutional failure. It was the culmination of decades of systemic shortcomings: regulatory gaps, inconsistent enforcement of regulations, and a deeply entrenched culture of irresponsibility and impunity.
This was precisely the conclusion reached by institutions and citizens at the round table “What must be done to prevent such a tragedy from happening again?”, organized by IDSCS to mark one year since the tragedy.
The tragedy opened an essential public debate: how did a venue that failed to meet basic safety standards manage to obtain an operating permit, function for more than a decade, and host thousands of visitors, without a single institution or citizen ever questioning its operation? To identify the systemic weaknesses, immediately after the tragedy, the State Commission for Prevention of Corruption (SCPC) carried out an anti-corruption risk assessment of the laws and regulations governing procedures related to the issuance of permits and licenses, as well as the framework for supervising them.
One of the key normative factors that enabled the “Pulse” tragedy to happen was the Law on Hospitality Activity 1. In its analysis, the SCPC points out that the law contains serious regulatory risks that create room for corrupt practices, stemming from imprecisely and incompletely regulated procedures, inconsistency with other systemic laws, the absence of control mechanisms, and the possibility of declaratively meeting technical requirements without factual verification by the competent authority.
Fifteen months on, the legislature still hasn’t adopted a single substantive change or reform to prevent new tragedies, with the sole exception being a complete ban on pyrotechnic devices in enclosed spaces, introduced through amendments to the Law on Misdemeanors against Public Order and Peace. Today, anyone wishing to open a cabaret, nightclub, or discotheque can obtain an operating license through the exact same procedure as before the Kočani tragedy.
Read more in the document:
Faster procedures don’t mean safer venues: Hospitality law amendments deliver digitalization, not safety reform
This public policy document is part of the project “Promoting the Debate on Accountability and AntiCorruption”, which aims to contribute to the reform processes in North Macedonia by strengthening the role of the Assembly in the fight against corruption and in establishing reforms in the rule of law. In doing so, it facilitates dialogue between political parties and youth, as well as between parliamentarians and civil society. The project is supported by the National Endowment for Democracy.
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