Agency for Prevention of Corruption

Regional round table on strengthening integrity in governance authorities and election campaigns in Adriatic and Ionian Initiative member states

April 18, 2019

Within the second Montenegrin presidency of Adriatic and Ionian Initiative (AII), the Agency, in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and with the support of the U.S. Embassy in Podgorica, organized a two-day event entitled “Regional round table on strengthening integrity in governance authorities and election campaigns in Adriatic and Ionian Initiative member states“, in Budva, on 16-17 April.

The round table was attended by the representatives of all nine member states: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Greece, Croatia, Italy, North Macedonia, Slovenia and Serbia. The representatives of the Adriatic and Ionian Initiative, Regional Anti-Corruption Initiative and the U.S. Embassy in Podgorica.

Introductory speeches at the round table were held by the director of the Agency for Prevention of Corruption, Mr. Sreten Radonjić, director general of the Directorate for Organization of Judiciary, Criminal Legislation and Inspection in the Ministry of Justice, Ms. Marijana Laković and the president of the Agency’s Council, Ms. Goranka Vučinić.

In his welcome speech, the director of the Agency, Sreten Radonjić expressed his pleasure with the fact that the Agency hosts such an event aimed at the empowerment of integrity in public sector, implementation of prevention anti-corruption measures and removal of systemic corruptive risks, as well as efficient implementation of control measures of financing of political entities and election campaigns, and presented the results of the Agency in these areas. Radonjić emphasized that the Agency has provided a strong contribution to integrity empowerment in governance authorities, improvement of transparency of financing of political entities and prevention of other irregularities and violation of law.

Director of the Directorate in the Ministry of Justice, Marijana Laković, informed the participants of the round table about the progress of Montenegro in the implementation of measures referred to in the Action Plan for Chapter 23 “Judiciary and Fundamental Rights”, emphasizing the role of the Agency for Prevention of Corruption in the implementation of measures from this Chapter.

President of the Council of the Agency, Goranka Vučinić, among others, highlighted the significance of international cooperation and was very pleased to witness the attendance of the representatives of EU member states, whose experience and practice in the application of the mentioned institutes will be a valuable input for Montenegro, heading towards the EU, to achieve international standards in the overall fight against corruption. Vučinić underlined that Montenegro designed the fight against corruption in a comprehensive and organized manner, starting from a principle that a successful fight against corruption entails efficient anti-corruption legislative and institutional framework, as well as efficient implementation of strategic documents and international duties.

During the two-day discussion, the representatives of anti-corruption bodies of AII member states discussed legislative and institutional frameworks and practices of such countries in the application of anti-corruption instruments such as: corruption risk assessment aimed at integrity empowerment in governance authorities, analysis of regulations related to corruption risks, ensuring integrity of political entities and election process through the control of financing of political entities and campaigns and IT solutions in these areas.

We underline that the Adriatic and Ionian Initiative targets the improvement of cooperation in Adriatic and Ionian Region and encouragement of the European integration process of the AII member states which are not the part of the EU, via the promotion of economic growth and social prosperity in the region and improvement of competitiveness, with the aim of complete European integration of the Western Balkans.

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