Public statement:

Recommendations for fight against corruption

Evaluation of GRECO experts (Group of States against corruption, which functions under favour of Council of Europe) is one of the most significant instruments for monitoring progress that countries made in fight against corruption. By entering GRECO in 2003, former Serbia and Montenegro accepted the obligation to follow recommendations. It is good to note that GRECO evaluates only some segments, not entire legal and institutional framework for fight against corruption. In the report published on October 9th 2006 Serbia got 25 recommendations, with end of next year as deadline for implementation.

Those are extremely important recommendations and Transparency Serbia considers that a lot of serious work will be necessary to fulfill them.

Among the most important tasks are the obligation to protect civil servants that report suspicion of corruption from retaliation, to create system to prevent abuse of conflict of interest opportunities through kickbacks after leaving the post, and obligation to ensure adequate resources for conducting special measures for uncovering corruption and protection of witnesses which posses the knowledge of such illegal acts. Among tasks to be primarily fulfilled are adoption of the Action Plan for implementing Anticorruption Strategy and establishment in practice (and not only on paper) of Ombudsman and State Audit Institution.

Transparency Serbia

Press Office
Belgrade, October 12th, 2006