TI BIH PRESENTED THE AGENDA OF GOOD GOVERNANCE 2025: IN A STATE OF INSTITUTIONAL PARALYSIS, IT IS NECESSARY TO ACT ON THE CAUSES OF CORUPTION

Sarajevo, December 1st 2022. “The paralysis of institutions caused by systemic political corruption managed by the highest public office holders has brought Bosnia and Herzegovina to a situation of complete captivity of political, social and economic processes” is the key message of the “Priorities in the fight against corruption in BiH” conference, which was held today in Sarajevo, organized by Transparency International in Bosnia and Herzegovina (TI BiH).

Political structures, which prioritized their actions on personal wealth at the expense of citizens, are directly responsible for denying basic human rights and freedoms to the citizens of BiH, which had and will have incalculable consequences during the pandemic, crisis and inflation, bringing into question the realization of the basic needs of citizens.

At today’s conference on the occasion of International Anti-Corruption Day, TI BiH appealed to political parties and the international community for concrete action by presenting the “Agenda of Good Governance 2025”, which proposes a different approach to solving systemic management challenges and reducing opportunities for corruption in BiH.

The agenda, based on 20 years of practical experience spent by TI BiH in researching the causes and consequences of corruption, as well as modern theoretical concepts dealing with corruption suppression, is based on the position that it is necessary to act towards the key causes – hot spots of corruption.

“The Agenda of Good Governance 2025 is an attempt to provide answers to the problem of entrapment of the institutional apparatus in BiH and its liberation from the negative influence of political elites”

pointed out Srđan Blagovčanin, chairman of the TI BiH Board of Directors, at the opening of the conference “Priorities in the fight against corruption in BiH”, which was held today in Sarajevo.

The agenda, among other things, proposes directions for the reform of public administration through its reduction, rationalization and depoliticization, centralization of the public procurement system, introduction of compulsory voting and democratization of political parties, and advocates the introduction of vetting in the judiciary – procedures for checking the assets, competences and connections of judicial office holders with organized crime.

The aim of the presented proposals is to reduce the possibilities for corruption while at the same time encouraging more active participation of citizens in the decision-making process, in order to enable the creation of policies in the public interest, as well as strengthening the capacity of institutions and restoring public confidence in their ability to combat systemic corruption, for which support of key local and international actors is necessary.

On that occasion, the Ambassador of Sweden to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Johanna Strömquist, welcomed the initiative of Transparency International in Bosnia and Herzegovina to think in new, innovative ways about how we can fight corruption and how to take small steps that will make a big difference in the long run.

In addition, the conference was dedicated to the priorities in the fight against corruption set before BiH, and on this occassion the integrity of the election process, laws on conflict of interest, amendments to the law on the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council, protection of corruption whistleblowers at all levels were highlighted as key issues on which BiH’s European path depends.

In this regard, the Head of the EU Delegation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Johann Sattler, emphasized that the fight against corruption must be a priority of the authorities, civil society and citizens. He said that it is certainly a priority for the EU. The fight against corruption and the rule of law are at the center of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s accession process to the European Union, and this is clearly stated in the 14 key priorities from the European Commission’s Opinion on Bosnia and Herzegovina’s application for membership.

The ambassador of the United States of America to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Micheal J. Murphy, said that we must work together to detect corruption when we see it and experience it.

“We must support citizens who insist on eradicating corruption; we must demand that those responsible for corruption are punished.”

ambassador of USA in BiH, Micheal J. Murphy,

It was emphasized that the next period is a key opportunity that must be used for all recommendations and priorities that have been unfulfilled for more than a decade, which is impossible to do without political support, and which will certainly be the first test for the newly elected authorities, regardless of their final composition.

Representatives of the Central Election Commission, the Ministry of Justice, the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council, the Prosecutor’s Office of BiH, the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH, the Agency for Public Procurement, UNDP, the EU Delegation to BiH and the Office of the Coordinator for Public Administration Reform participated in the panel discussion at the conference.

The conference was made possible by the financial support of Sweden and the American Agency for International Development – USAID.

Press rls_1.12.22_pdf