Stability Pact Anti-Corruption Initiative
The damage
caused by corrupt practices in Southeast Europe is well known.
Corruption has eroded the rule of law and the stability of democratic
institutions, breaching fundamental rights and freedoms and undermining
the trust and confidence of citizens in the fairness and impartiality
of public administration. It has undermined the business climate,
discouraged domestic and foreign investment, wasted economic resources
and hampered economic growth, thus threatening the very objectives
of peace, democracy and prosperity in Southeast Europe.
In response,
the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe made the fight against
corruption a top priority upon its founding in Cologne (Germany)
in June 1999.This was formally endorsed in Sarajevo a month later.
On 16th February 2000, again in Sarajevo, Stability Pact countries,
including the EU member states, the countries of the SEE region
and the international donor community, adopted an Anti-Corruption
Initiative - SPAI.
Why have countries
of South Eastern Europe, along with the international community,
mobilised to fight bribery and corruption in the region? The answer
is simple: corruption respects no borders, knows no economic distinctions
and tends of affect all government bodies. No country of South
Eastern Europe can afford the social, political and economic costs
that bribery and corruption entail. As such, the fight against
bribery and corruption has moved to the top of the regional political
agenda. Not so long ago, bribing public officials to obtain any
deal was at least a tolerated practice in the wide parts of the
region. Today, SEE countries, associated with the international
community, will play by stricter rules. The legal and institutional
frameworks are being reformed according to European and other
international standards. This is not only needed in order to outlaw
the practice of bribing public officials, but also to promote
a whole arsenal of legal instruments and to improve ethical standards
in the public sector, to establish the rule of law, to curtail
money laundering and to clean up public procurement practices.
The private sector and the civil society are playing a crucial
role in turning these new rules into reality.
SPAI provides
incentives for policy reform and sets out a number of commitments
for policy reforms that SEE countries need to implement in order
to eradicate corruption. There are five pillars:
- Adhesion
to and implementation of European and international anti-corruption
instruments;
- Promotion
of good governance and reliable public administrations;
- Strengthening
of legislation and promotion of the rule of law;
- Promotion
of transparency and integrity in business operations and fight
against bribery of public officials;
- Promotion
of an active civil society, including the media
Since the
initiation of SPAI in February 2000, the environment for cooperation
against corruption in South-eastern Europe has changed considerably:
- Countries
have made significant progress in the adoption of relevant international
instruments.
- All countries
of South-Eastern Europe are now members of the Group of States
against Corruption (GRECO) under which their compliance with
European anti-corruption instruments is monitored.(*) Some also
participate in the OECD monitoring mechanism.
- In some
countries, comprehensive anti-corruption plans have been adopted
and are under implementation. In others, drafting of such plans
is underway or envisaged.
- In some
countries, institutional mechanisms to manage the implementation
of these plans as well as specialised institutions to investigate
and prosecute corruption have been created.
- The capacity
of civil society organisations to support anti-corruption measures
have been strengthened, as reflected in some countries in the
formation of anti-corruption coalitions or the creation of national
chapters of the NGO Transparency International.
- The readiness
of donors and international organisations to support specific
anti-corruption projects has increased and a - yet limited
- number of projects have been implemented.
- In November
2002, countries of South Eastern Europe signed up to the London
Statement in which they committed themselves, among other things,
to develop and implement national anti-corruption plans and
anti-corruption laws, to build public support against corruption,
and to engage in judicial networking and other forms of regional
cooperation.
Anti-corruption
measures are also reviewed within the EU’s Stabilisation
and Association Process. The reports published by the European
Commission in March 2003, identified the preparation and implementation
of national anti-corruption plans and the creation of specialised
anti-corruption institutions as priority areas.
SPAI will continue to promote the prevention and control of corruption
as a means to strengthen democracy, the rule of law, human rights,
and social and economic progress, and thus to contribute to further
European integration.
Against the
background, SPAI’s added value in the future will have to
be measured in terms of the support it can provide to:
- the elaboration,
improvement and implementation of national anti-corruption plans
- the strengthening
of specialised anti-corruption services
- networking
and engaging regional dynamics and synergies
In all these
activities, the newly established SPAI Regional Office based in
Sarajevo will play an important role, also as a part of the increasing
regional ownership.
(*) Evaluation
reports containing recommendations are available under www.greco.coe.int.
|
