Procedures initiated over unsatisfactory fight against corruption – Serbia among countries failing to adhere to recommendations of Council of Europe

The Council of Europe has initiated procedures for Serbia and another eight countries due to, as said, “globally unsatisfactory” compliance with anti-corruption recommendations among members of the parliament, judges and prosecutors.

These are recommendations by the Group of States against Corruption (GRECO), which operates within the Council of Europe and whose annual report was published yesterday in Brussels and Strasbourg, warning that there has been a regression in the fight against corruption.

In addition to Serbia, the procedure over the failure to comply with the recommendations of this body of the Council of Europe has been initiated in Belgium, Hungary, Ireland, Luxembourg, Portugal, Romania, Spain and Turkey.

The procedure of GRECO for Belarus and Switzerland is also in progress over their failure to comply with earlier recommendations to put corruption cases under a criminal code, as well as to have an insight into “political financing” and a general legal framework for preventing corruption

The Council of Europe and GRECO point out in a press release that “new legislative initiatives in certain European countries in 2017 reversed reforms previously undertaken to strengthen the prevention of corruption or started reforms that may result in breaches of the Council of Europe´s anti-corruption standards”.

– Although there was overall progress in introducing new measures to fight corruption in respect of MPs, judges and prosecutors, their practical implementation remained slower than desirable – GRECO emphasizes.

Vlada Republike Srbije

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