Worst result to date: BiH among the three worst-ranked countries in Europe for corruption

(Patria) - Bosnia and Herzegovina has experienced a significant drop in this year's Corruption Perception Index (CPI) and, with its worst score to date of 33, ranks second-to-last in Europe alongside Belarus. This is two points less than last year and as many as 9 less compared to 2012 when BiH was among the better-ranked countries in the region. It is now at the very bottom of the Western Balkans, which is showing slight progress on average.

BiH's recent decline has been significantly influenced by the collapse of the integrity of the electoral process, where serious accusations of electoral fraud have accompanied several election cycles. According to the CPI, BiH is on par with dictatorships where power has never changed hands in elections. The amendments to the election law imposed by the High Representative have not resolved this problem, as the Central Election Commission, through its application, has rendered meaningless most of the provisions that were supposed to prevent the abuse of public resources and the trading of electoral boards.

In a country where a semblance of democracy prevails, a government facing a legitimacy crisis is increasingly intensifying pressure on critics. This has been particularly evident in Republika Srpska with a series of attacks on civil society and the adoption of repressive laws aimed at suppressing the work of independent media and hindering the functioning of non-government-controlled associations. This year's TI report emphasizes that the development of democracy and strong institutions are key to effectively combating corruption. Countries with full democracy status have an average CPI of 73, failed democracies 47, and undemocratic regimes record an average of 33, which is also BiH's result this year.

The focus of the global CPI research for the current year is the impact of corruption on the environment. It has been proven that powerful individuals, who profit from environmental destruction, use money and power to buy government support and stifle criticism. This is also important in the context of BiH, where, after the tragedy in Jablanica and numerous environmental problems (at the sites of Bistrica, Lopare, Ozren, Vareš, Livno, Gudronska jama in Modriča, etc.), it has become clear that the profit of individuals is far more important to the authorities than the lives, safety, and health of the people living there. TI BiH data in the area of concessions show that the state generates modest revenues compared to significant resources. Profits are reaped by individuals who, due to poor laws and the non-transparent work of authorities, avoid paying obligations and acquire state resources at the expense of public interest.

The catastrophic state of the judiciary remains BiH's weakest link, and the regional TI report states that the reform laws in preparation still have numerous shortcomings. This misses an opportunity to improve the appointment process and enable effective verification of the assets of judges and prosecutors, and last year's amendments to the HJPC law, which were supposed to address this, are still not being applied. The captured judiciary has had devastating results in prosecuting high-level corruption for years, and despite several court verdicts against high-ranking officials in the FBiH last year, the most significant affairs remain unclarified.

Therefore, institutions have an obligation to undertake urgent reforms. In its comprehensive National Integrity Study, Transparency International has defined steps to combat corruption in various areas. Regulating conflicts of interest, systemic protection of whistleblowers, strengthening oversight of the executive branch, electoral reform, strengthening the independence of the judiciary and other law enforcement agencies are the basic tasks before the institutions, and they also correspond to BiH's European path.