Municipalities in BiH must adopt anti-corruption plans

The assessment of the local integrity system showed that municipalities in BiH lack key mechanisms for preventing corruption, while the responsibility of local assemblies, administrations and local political parties is very low.

Transparency International of Bosnia and Herzegovina (TI BiH) presented the research Local Integrity System Assessment (LIS assessment), which was conducted in 10 local self-government units in BiH – in the municipalities of Gracanica, Goražde, Novi Grad Sarajevo, Stari Grad Sarajevo, Teslić, Travnik, Visoko, the City of Bijeljina, the City of Mostar and the Brčko District of BiH. LIS assessment includes an analysis of the legal framework and practice when it comes to anti-corruption mechanisms at the municipal level, ie a comprehensive assessment of the system of integrity and accountability.

The general findings of the research show that local self-government units in BiH generally do not have developed instruments and capacities for the fight against corruption, nor adequate support from higher levels of government in BiH. Also, local governments lack adequate support from higher levels of government in improving their integrity system and improving the work of municipalities. The current system of internal and external audit is not in line with the real needs of local self-government units, while the accountability of local representative bodies as well as political parties at the local level is very low. Political parties do not represent the interests of citizens at the local level, nor are they transparent enough, and in all local government units covered by the survey, local parties are one of the weakest segments of the integrity system.

Chloé Berger, Head of the Section for Operations for Justice and Home Affairs and Public Administration Reform of the Delegation of the European Union to BiH, also addressed the media, pointing out: “Corruption is perceived as a constantly growing phenomenon in all sectors of public life. Citizens are most exposed to health and
education sector, but also at the level of local self-government. These are places where most citizens face corruption and where the greatest impacts on their lives are felt. The EU stands ready to support all serious efforts in Bosnia and Herzegovina to prevent and fight corruption. We have made the fight against corruption a central element of our assistance to the law enforcement sector, and we are working by awarding grants to civil society organizations to empower NGOs to address this issue. We are also working to improve accountability in the judiciary, and we have addressed the fight against corruption in the political dialogue. ”

The findings that are common to all analyzed municipalities show that in order to strengthen the integrity system at the local level, it is necessary for all local self-government units in BiH to adopt their own plans to fight corruption. Municipalities need to improve both internal and external audit mechanisms to improve financial accountability. It is necessary to improve transparency, ie to adjust citizens’ budget documents and information on the disposal of public funds, and to improve proactive transparency in local government decision-making processes in order to increase citizen participation in decision-making. To this end, it is necessary to improve cooperation with civil society organizations, especially in the field of anti-corruption, and to modernize communication with the public.

The purpose of the Local Integrity System Assessment is to provide municipalities with an objective insight and the opportunity to focus their efforts on improving anti-corruption mechanisms by focusing on poorly assessed segments of local government work. The methodology for assessing local integrity systems was developed by Transparency International and tested in Europe, South America, the Middle East and Africa.

TI BiH conducted this study within the EU-funded project “Strengthening Integrity and Good Governance for More Effective Implementation of the Anti-Corruption Strategy in BiH from the Local to the State Level”. This is the largest LIS assessment conducted in the world so far, because for the first time 10 local self-government units were covered in one country, and in each of the municipalities covered by this research, the findings for that municipality will be presented separately.

Press rls – 20.07.2015.doc