Good governance / Anti-corruption policy

Gong presented the research ‘Institutional sources of corruption in Croatia: an experts’ insight', and its author doc. dr. sc. Dario Čepo from the Department of Sociology at the Faculty of Law in Zagreb and a member of the Gong Council pointed out that corruption is linked to political institutions.

From the letter of the Minister of Justice and Public Administration Ivan Malenica to GRECO, in which he tried to deal with Gong, it is clear that our concern is justified and that the Commission for the Prevention of Conflicts of Interest will lose its power. The Commission will no longer be able to decide whether an official has acted honestly, fairly, conscientiously, responsibly, and impartially, preserving his or her own credibility and the dignity and trust of citizens. It will be left without this important authority, the power to decide on the general principles of action in the exercise of public office. After Gong warned GRECO last week about attempts to destroy the Commission in Croatia, this Monday we again addressed this specialized anti-corruption body of the Council of Europe to respond to the accusations of the Minister, but also to warn of the pressures we experience as a civil society organization.

Gong warned GRECO, the Council of Europe's specialized anti-corruption body, that the Commission for the Prevention of Conflicts of Interest in Croatia must not be destroyed.

Resolving a crisis caused by a coronavirus, and further complicated by the Zagreb earthquake, requires swift and decisive action. However, during this crisis management, the Croatian Government must not forget about transparency so as not to undermine citizens' confidence in institutions.

The Presidency of the Council of the EU is a unique opportunity for Croatia to take a step forward in the transparency of European affairs, thus to genuinely bring Europe closer to its citizens.