Wigemark: Only results matter in the fight against corruption

After the adoption of the Action Plan of the Sarajevo Canton for the fight against corruption, Ambassador Lars-Gunnar Wigemark, Special Representative of the European Union and Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Bosnia and Herzegovina, stated:

- We welcome the proactive engagement of the Government of the Sarajevo Canton in drafting and adopting the Action Plan for the fight against corruption. The Cantonal Government has made a significant step forward in undertaking appropriate activities within their jurisdiction to prevent and suppress corrupt activities. However, in the fight against corruption, only results matter, and we hope that the cantonal authorities will achieve results in the implementation of the Action Plan, in coordination with other competent actors, from law enforcement agencies to prosecutor's offices and courts.
 
We call on all cantonal authorities to consider the possibility of drafting and adopting strategies and action plans for the fight against corruption, in accordance with the fundamental principles of the Strategy of Bosnia and Herzegovina for the fight against corruption. The empowerment of anti-corruption bodies is yet another obligation of all cantonal authorities that still needs to be completed in order to achieve more effective and coordinated action in the fight against corruption - said Wigemark.

Incidentally, the Plan adopted by the Government of the Sarajevo Canton for the period 2015-2019, in its operational part, addresses the prevention of corruption, as well as education and raising awareness about the harmfulness of corruption. According to the Plan, for example, it is necessary to establish an obligation for public disclosure of public procurement contracts for all budget users in the Sarajevo Canton. One of the envisaged measures is an analysis of the need and possibility of occasional internal transfers within the same body, in those areas of work and positions where, based on a risk assessment, a risk of corruption has been identified.

It is also necessary to reduce weaknesses (primarily the privileging of persons based on party or other affiliation, origin, personal or family connections) in the processes of recruitment, performance evaluation, and promotion in service, and to establish open communication channels in public institutions in the Sarajevo Canton with the aim of encouraging clients or civil servants to report corruption, as defined in some of the activities of this Plan.