Jonathan Moore expressed support for TI BiH

Charge d’Affaires of the Embassy of the United States in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Jonathan Moore, visited the head office of Transparency International Bosnia and Herzegovina (TI BiH) in Banja Luka.

The aim of the visit and meeting with representatives of TI BiH was a discussion about the level of corruption and the situation in BiH, as well as the activities of TI BiH in the coming period, with special emphasis on the upcoming elections and the funding of political parties, since TI BiH launched a campaign advocating for greater transparency in this area.

During the meeting, Moore expressed the US Embassy support for the work of TI BiH in the fight against corruption, and stressed the importance of persistence in these efforts, even though the political environment in which TI BiH operates makes these efforts difficult and puts pressure on the work of this organization. Moore put special emphasis on the area of political funding and the upcoming elections, saying that the institutions, prosecutors’ offices, and the Central Election Commission regarding the financing of political parties must show commitment to shed light on the flows of money and its influence on politics.

Executive Director of TI BiH, Srdjan Blagovcanin, expressed his gratitude for the support, and informed Mr. Moore about the activities of TI BiH, in connection with the financing of political parties. Blagovcanin particularly stressed the importance of transparent financing of political parties, both from the perspective of sources of financing, as well as the ways in which parties spend the taxpayers’ money. The main conclusion of the meeting of TI BiH and representatives of the U.S. Embassy in BiH was that transparent and accountable political financing is an essential prerequisite for ensuring democratic election process.