The management of the Agency for Prevention of Corruption (APC) held a meeting today with the delegation of French Expertise in Montenegro, a public agency for the design and implementation of international technical cooperation projects from France. The visit was organized through a project funded by the French Development Agency, aimed at providing support for capacity building and strengthening expertise in the field of anti-corruption efforts.

The delegation consisted of Helena Papa, an expert on transparency, the fight against financial crime, and money laundering, and Lena Bonnemains, the team leader of the Anti-Corruption Fund.

During the meeting, opinions and experiences were exchanged on further improving mechanisms for the prevention and fight against corruption, and specific measures were discussed that could enhance existing anti-corruption tools and procedures. Additionally, initial steps were agreed upon for future joint projects and activities that will further strengthen anti-corruption policies.

This meeting represents the continuation of successful cooperation and the enhancement of partnership relations with international partners from France. With the support of the Ambassador of the Republic of France to Montenegro, H.E. Anne Marie Maskay, expert support in the field of anti-corruption policies was provided in recent months through a series of roundtable discussions on amendments to the Law on Prevention of Corruption, which brought together representatives from all relevant social actors with the aim of improving the anti-corruption legal framework. This initiative was further strengthened through a series of meetings held in Paris, where Agency representatives exchanged best practices in anti-corruption policies with French institutions responsible for the fight against corruption and agreed on further steps for cooperation.

During their stay in Paris, Agency representatives participated in a meeting of the Business Integrity Group of the Anti-Corruption Network for Eastern Europe and Central Asia. This opportunity was also used for meetings with representatives of the Republic Mediator (Ombudsman), the Ministry for Public Administration, Simplification, and Transformation of Public Administration, the French Anti-Corruption Agency, and the Supreme Institution for Transparency in the Public Sector. Cooperation with the French Embassy and French institutions with an anti-corruption agenda represents a strategically important step—the long-term value lies in the transfer of knowledge and the application of successful practices, which will contribute to the creation of a more transparent and accountable public sector in Montenegro.