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SARAJEVO, June 13 (FENA) - Fight against corruption is one of the key priorities on the path of a country towards full membership in the European Union, but it is a problem that the member states could not completely eradicate, and billions of euros disappear through corruption, stressed today in Sarajevo, Head of the EU Delegation to BiH Lars-Gunnar Wigemark.
Heads of governments and leaders of anti-corruption bodies gathered today at a conference chaired by Wigemark to discuss a more concrete and stronger fight against corruption in Bosnia and Herzegovina that is present in all segments of society.
In an introductory address at the conference on "Strengthening the fight against corruption in BiH: What do anti-corruption bodies need for effective fight against corruption?" Wigemark named corruption a cultural issue because it is culturally acceptable or not in a particular country.
Today's event focused on the need to strengthen anti-corruption bodies in BiH, where there are 14 of them, with particular reference to the latest European Commission report on BiH, where one of the recommendations refers to the need to "ensure the effective functioning and coordination of anti-corruption bodies" in BiH.
As it was pointed out, anti-corruption bodies comprise a wider body together with ombudspersons, public auditors, representatives of the judiciary and inspectors in various areas, all of whom, they said, are the guardians of good public administration practice.
Wigemark stressed that all public institutions must work together in order to achieve any concrete results, as well as the fact that more than 100 people work every day to fight corruption, but this does not include people in the judiciary and the police, agencies and ministries, because only if they get involved as well, then we can talk about thousands of people who are fighting corruption.
“There are results, but BiH needs indictments, criminal proceedings and judgments, because there are judgments at lower levels, however, at higher levels the results are not satisfactory. The situation is similar in all countries that have aspirations to be members of the EU,” underlined Wigemark.
He expressed hope that a new anti-corruption strategy would soon be adopted in BiH, but whether this document exists or not, the strategy will be successful only if there is a political will to implement it,” said Wigemark.
He assessed that the results in the fight against corruption will be a true test of political will, as it is necessary to ensure coordination of the bodies, but it is also necessary to give the right tools to those that fight against this problem.
The conference was organized by the European Union project "Institutional Support to Anti-Corruption - IPAK" and the Agency for the Prevention of Corruption and Coordination of the Fight against Corruption, in cooperation with the EU Delegation to BiH.
(FENA) S. R.
