The European Union is committed to continue being a reliable partner for Bosnia and Herzegovina on its EU integration process, not least through the funding of three new anti-corruption projects worth EUR 3.5 million that have started in 2019.
With a clear message that widespread, systematic corruption is a no-go for the European Union, Nicolas Bizel, Head of Operations Section for Justice and Home Affairs and Public Administration Reform of the Delegation of the European Union to Bosnia and Herzegovina, addressed representatives of civil society organisations, anti-corruption bodies and the donor community.
“We wish to highlight the importance of civil society organisations in the fight against corruption, as they provide constructive critiques and are good partners to institutions and donors because of their expertise and recommendations. The European Union is committed to supporting BiH in its fight against corruption with substantial financial commitment and, through these projects, we are working on prevention and repression because positive results in this area are crucial to BiH joining the EU family in the future,” said Bizel.
Representatives of civil society organisations engaged in projects that fight against corruption, anti-corruption agencies at all levels of government and the international community had an opportunity to express their views and help define their needs in order to improve cooperation.
Zoran Jachev, team leader of the EU-funded project “Institutional support for Anti-corruption” (IPAK), underlined that corruption is very complex and that everyone involved in fighting against it needs to be more coordinated and organised in order to successfully meet the challenge. “For us, cooperation and coordination between institutions, anti-corruption bodies and the donor community is crucial. We see this relationship as a triangle that needs better cooperation and coordination,” said Jachev.
With new support to the fight against corruption, the European Union provides Bosnia and Herzegovina with a unique pool of expertise in order to deepen and widen the involvement of stakeholders in joint efforts to curb corruption, especially civil society organisations that are the strongest voice of citizens.
