The continuing practice of limiting negotiations to the main parties, to the exclusion of other actors in society, will only further entrench a discredited political leadership. Another year, another agreement. This government with its ruling VMRO-DPMNE party, in power since 2006, has broken all records in the number of internationally mediated agreements just to keep […]

The International Monetary Fund reached an agreement Tuesday with Moldova for a $179 million, 3-year loan arrangement conditional on the government carrying out reforms. The IMF said its staff members have reached a “staff-level agreement on an economic reform program” with Moldovan authorities to be supported by the credit facility. Moldovan Prime Minister Pavel Filip […]

The Ministry of Public Finance and the Department of Romanians from Everywhere have launched an interactive online guide that supports the Romanian citizens outside the country and offers information regarding the payment and taxes declaration. The document has as starting point the most frequent questions regarding the fiscal liabilities that Romanian citizens have to pay […]

The Mayor of the Skopje Municipality of Centar, Andrej Zernovski, a known opponent of the government revamp of the city, is to testify on Tuesday before the Special Prosecution – which is investigating possible crimes related to the makeover. Macedonia’s special prosecution, SJO, has confirmed that it has summoned Centar Mayor Andrej Zernovski while probing […]

The time has come for EU member states to decide how they will treat whistleblowers. Erika Kelton asks, will they embrace and encourage them, or will they perpetuate a culture of fear? Erika Kelton is a lawyer who has represented whistleblowers in several landmark cases, including the leading whistleblowers in GlaxoSmithKline’s $3 billion settlement with […]

Sorin Ovidiu Vantu, one of the most controversial Romanian investors, and Liviu Luca, the former OMV Petrom union leader, were sentenced to six years in jail for embezzlement and money laundering. The two were found guilty of fraudulent misuse of some EUR 83.5 million that belonged to Petromservice, a company that used to provide services […]

Albania’s governing and opposition parties passed a judicial reform package on Thursday (21 July), meeting a condition of the European Union for accession talks with the ex-Communist Balkan state. The constitutional package revamping the judiciary received unanimous approval in the 140-member chamber, seen as crucial to giving the reform a solid foundation. A consensus on […]

The European Commission has announced next steps in its campaign to boost tax transparency in order to fight tax evasion and avoidance in the EU, taking into account the problems highlighted in the recent media leaks known as the Panama Papers. The commission adopted a proposal to further reinforce EU rules on anti-money laundering to […]

Romania’s National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) has indicted Gelu Stefan Diaconu, the former head of the tax agency ANAF, and his former deputy Mihai Gogancea Vatasoiu for alleged abuse of power.     DNA has also indicted nine other people, including MPs Nicolae Paun and Madalin Voicu, who are under judicial control, for alleged crimes related […]

The National Commission for the implementation of the Strategy for Prevention and Suppression of Terrorism, Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing 2015-2018, and the Action Plan 2015-2016, held regular session on 20 July 2016 which was attended by Commission’s members from the Ministry of Justice, Ministry of the Interior and Police Directorate, Ministry of Defence and […]