Laxenburg – Vienna, Austria 3-5 October 2018: Negotiations Meeting on International Treaty on Exchange of Data for the Verification of Asset Declarations

RAI Secretariat is pleased to inform that the Negotiation Meeting on International Treaty on Exchange of Data for the Verification of Asset Declarations took place in Laxenburg – Vienna, Austria on 3-4 October, 2018.

It was hosted by the Ministry for Europe, Integration, and Foreign Affairs of Austria and organized by RAI Secretariat. The Meeting lasted for two days and attending delegations demonstrated commitment to the Treaty and were actively engaged in the discussions over the Treaty text. The atmosphere was very positive with excellent exchanges, resulting in an improved text of the Treaty.

RAI Secretariat is fully aware that there is a long road ahead, but successful completion of the 1st round of negotiations represents a major milestone in the process of enabling exchange of data for verification purposes in Southeast Europe. Bulgaria and Montenegro nominated their countries as potential hosts for the second negotiation meeting.  Delegation of Serbia nominated Serbia as a potential depository of the Treaty.

Please see the Conclusions of the Meetingas well as the final List of Participants.

 

The purpose of the International Treaty on Exchange of Data for the Verification of Asset Declarations is to prevent and to combat corruption by providing for direct administrative exchange of information concerning asset declarations between the Parties of the Treaty. The Treaty will enable and streamline communication, and will simplify the present time-consuming processes in verification of public officials’ asset declaration. Respective anti-corruption bodies will be able to communicate formally to each other in an effective and efficient manner compared to the current state of affairs.

The basis of the Treaty is the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) and its Resolution 6/4, which encourages Member States to consider the possibility of concluding multilateral agreements on civil and administrative matters relating to corruption, including international cooperation.

The Treaty has been developed under the Southeast Europe Regional Programme on Strengthening the Capacity of Anti-corruption Authorities and Civil Society to Combat Corruption and Contribute to the UNCAC Review Process, implemented by the Regional Anti-Corruption Initiative (RAI) in partnership with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and funded by Austrian Development Agency (ADA).

The Treaty has been prepared following three regional expert meetings, attended by the integrity/anti-corruption authorities and ministries of justice from the South East Europe held in Zagreb in 2015, Tirana in 2016 and Sofia in 2016 organized by Regional Anti-corruption Initiative (RAI) and hosted by respective national institutions. Significant contribution in developing the Treaty has been provided by the European Commission, UNODC, World Bank, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Basel Institute on Governance, Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) and the Regional School of Public Administration (ReSPA).

The Treaty has been endorsed by the Heads of Governments at the Western Balkans Summit, held in July 2017 in Trieste. The European Commission in its 2018 Communication on EU Enlargement Policy from April 17th, 2018, reaffirmed importance of the Treaty, as a mechanism which could contribute to improving the countries’ track record of dealing with corruption cases in the Western Balkans region.

 

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