Doris Pack: Protect Transparency International BiH!

A high-level European policy summit “Balkans Crossroads – the policy challenges ahead” took place in Brussels on 04 December organised by Friends of Europe, in which a large number of prominent individuals participated, including Boris Divjak, Chair of the Board of Transparency International Bosnia and Herzegovina and a member of the global Board of Directors of TI, as a speaker.

The first, political panel saw addresses of Stjepan Mesić, president of Croatia, Doris Pack, Chair of the European Parliament delegation for relations with the countries of SE Europe, Božidar Đelić, Deputy Prime Minister of Serbia, Carla del Ponte, Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, Mladen Ivanić, Co-chair of the House of Peoples of BiH i Michael Leigh, Director General for Enlargement of the European Commission. In a lively debate the current Kosovo crisis was dominant, alongside the possible negative reactions in the region. Despite this, corruption still featured high on the agenda as a key hurdle to the further development of SE Europe and its accession to the EU.

In a very emotional and dramatic appeal, Doris Pack sought further support, but also protection of Transparency International Bosnia and Herzegovina (TI BiH), which may easily become a target of the same dark forces, which stand behind many unresolved assassinations in the country, among which is the recent murder of Milan Vukelic.

Pack publicly praised the work of TI BiH on exposing the non-transparent privatisations and tenders to the public, which the gathering endorsed acclaiming.

Divjak’s address opened the second, economic panel, in which Gordana Đurović, Deputy Prime Minister of Montenegro also took part. He used the opportunity to emphasise “very close connections between the informal groups and the underground with the executive power holders at all levels, which become particularly visible in the area of economic transition, such as privatisation of the state-owned capital, public contracting etc.”

The summit concluded that besides reaching the political stability and a sustainable economic development of the countries in the region, it is necessary to improve the business environment, in parallel with a decisive fight against corruption in all the public institutions. Unfortunately, the bulk of the relevant international analyses reiterates a permanent lack of progress in this field, which results in a low levels of foreign direct investment and distrust of investors in the regional market. At the same time, the potential is largely untapped and the FDI absorption capacity is much higher, yet the government of all the Balkans countries will first have to convince such capital in their intentions to create a transparent, open and accountable environment for doing business.