Under the auspices of Croatia’s Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, High-Level Conference titled Strengthening transparency and accountability to ensure integrity: United against corruption is taking place today and tomorrow in Sibenik, Croatia. The conference is organised by the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Croatia, in cooperation with the Group of States against Corruption of the Council of Europe (GRECO). RAI Secretariat represented by Vladan Joksimovic, Head of the Secretariat will have a chance to speak about RAI perspective on the subjects.

The overall aim of the Conference is to strengthen transparency and accountability to ensure integrity. The Conference will highlight and promote the complementarity between traditional, national anti-corruption integrity mechanisms and authorities with that of public transparency and a vibrant media. A free and independent media, whatever form it takes, is vital to transparency and accountability , as a means to ensure integrity and to prevent and track down corruption. Guiding Principle 16 of the Twenty guiding principles for the fight against corruption (Committee of Ministers’ Resolution (97)24) requires States “to ensure that the media have freedom to receive and impart information on corruption matters, subject only to limitations or restrictions which are necessary in a democratic society”. At the same time, it is important to
promote professional journalistic standards of ethics as well as transparent advertising and a pluralistic media ownership.

The Conference will discuss the key role played by the media to promote transparency and accountability, while at the same time the need to protect the media itself from corruption. Specialized and adequately resourced anti-corruption bodies are essential to fight corruption; and Guiding Principle 7 calls upon States “to promote the specialisation of persons or bodies in charge of fighting corruption and to provide them with appropriate means and training to perform their tasks”. The Conference will aim at promoting closer cooperation and synergies amongst the relevant national anti-corruption bodies or authorities.
The conference will bring together senior experts and policy makers at a national and international level. After two decades of Council of Europe action against corruption, the Ministerial, high-level segment will provide an opportunity to reflect upon the progress made and give political guidance for the future. The working languages of the conference will be English, French and Croatian.

For more information please click here.

RAI Secretariat

15 October 2018