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SEE states have relatively low capacity to fight corruption (study)
A study presented on Thursday at the Southeast European States Regional Anti-corruption Conference reveals a relatively low capacity to fight corruption in the nine countries where it was carried out, Romania included.
'The study was carried out in nine countries (Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, former Yugoslav Republic Macedonia, Republic of Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, editor's note), comprising the same set of questions addressed to judges, prosecutors and police officers working on corruption cases. An overriding issue revealed by the survey is the relatively low capacity to fight corruption, an instability regarding the professional statuses, where, though regulated by law, there is still much room for improvement, as professionals working in these systems consider,' said Transparency International Romania Executive Manager Victor Alistar.
According to Alistar, the survey proves the fact that the professionals working in courts, prosecutor's offices or police departments have the determination and will 'to solve the corruption cases'.He also pointed out that with respect to the high-level corruption or fraud cases 'things are moving quite slowly everywhere'.
'A new conclusion showed up, the fact that a non-systematic, lacking seriousness and rather propagandistic approach of this topic may do harm to their daily activities,' said Alistar. He also stated that from the legislation analysis perspective, Romania is doing better than other participant countries, because it has taken a series of steps earlier and because, considering the initiatives, Serbia is with a few steps behind and coming with an entire series of reforms and new laws adopted this spring.
Victor Alistar believes there is dynamics, but the most important thing is to observe if the laws are well applied or if too much political and too little technical emphasis is placed on them.Asked if he noticed a change regarding the anti-corruption fight in the last year as opposed to the previous years, he said that such a comparison could be made.
'This was not the topic of the report, but given that we carried out this study in Romania for three consecutive years for the Superior Council of Magistracy, now we have it and a comparison can be made. Things are moving slowly, the European Union pressure dropped, the public pressure dropped as well, it is a difficult path to take, but everything is going into the right direction and things will be clearer,' said Alistar. Transparency International Romania and its partners carried out the study regarding the integrity and resistance to corruption of judicial systems in nine Southeast European countries, Agerpres informs.