Sava Centre, Belgrade, 30.12.2001.

Fighting corruption - Pillars of society and local government reform

Ladies and gentlemen, dear colleagues and friends,

I am honoured to have the opportunity of addressing such a distinguished gathering.

In the course of the dismal 1990's that we have left behind, the citizens of Serbia experienced what it was like to live in a badly run state whose basic characteristics were endemic corruption, disregard of human rights, generating conflicts and then "resolving" them by means of armed intervention. What characterised our society was the ideology of exclusiveness, glorification of aggressive nationalism and contempt of the rule of law and democratic institutions. It was a situation where a criminal minority, using the autocratic surroundings, oppressed the majority, deprived of its rights, and got rich at the expense of the latter using corruptive mechanisms.

A little more than a year after the historic political changes, the European Movement in Serbia is firmly oriented towards a democratic consolidation of our society and state. Our activities are twofold. On the one hand, we monitor the work and assess the efficiency of the Government, submitting proposals for improving its policy; on the other, we actively participate, through our local councils network throughout the country, in the projects of developing local communities, educating and involving as many citizens as possible. In accordance with our "Programme orientation for the 2001-2003 period", adopted in March this year, our priority target groups are the young, private enterprises and local government personnel.

The public opinion polls that we have conducted indicate that the two main reasons why our citizens are dissatisfied with the work of the Government have to do with its achievements in fighting corruption and crime and in raising the economic standard of the citizens. The democratic legitimacy of the Government and the ability to sustain the confidence of the citizens in the measures that it is implementing are essential for the success of the reform process. To win the citizens' confidence, it is necessary to present and explain the reform measures to them, for more often than not, these measures mean short-term privation for the sake of long-term gain. Non-governmental organisations should play a constructive role in this process.

The reform orientation of the Governments of Serbia and FR Yugoslavia is also reflected in opting for applying for the status of a full member of the European Union. This presupposes a lot of work, involving all of us, on adopting European standards in all spheres of life.

To begin with, there is the great work involved in adopting new legal regulations, on the basis of EU regulations (acquis communitaire). These constitute the foundation of the reforms leading to a new, progressive system of life and work of the citizens of Serbia.

Legal regulations alone are not enough. We need a new legal culture, as well as a culture based on respect of the rule of law. Legal regulations provide a framework for the conduct of citizens and institutions, not worth very much in itself if it is not accompanied by administrative and judicial capacity for its effective implementation.

The new development paradigm of the IMF, particularly the WB, UNDP and EBRD over the last six years, has increasingly reflected a recognition of the importance of strong and transparent state institutions for economic development. In other words, it is not possible to eradicate poverty if there is widespread corruption and if state institutions are weak.

On the other hand, "the devil lies in details", as the English would say. A lot of time, energy and resolve are required to carry out a process of training, first of all, of civil service employees; however, the implementation of even the best devised laws is not possible without a significant improvement and modernisation of the capacity of public administration and especially local government. The Government alone cannot achieve this in the short term, for the problems inherited from the previous regime are many and difficult at that. That is why third-sector organisations (non-governmental and non-profit ones) should participate in this process. It is necessary to change the ossified administrative structures and create a flexible, transparent and efficient government that would be of service to the citizens, especially where it is closest to them, that is, in the municipalities. In this way, the citizens' confidence in the administration will gradually increase.

Naturally, we should bear in mind that the introduction of the principle of transparency is essential both in the public sector and among civil society organisations and in the private sector, which will be discussed in more detail in the first part of the conference.

The European Movement in Serbia held its first workshop on the methods of fighting corruption as far back as November 2000; the participants included representatives of the then democratic and free towns, TI Secretariat from Berlin, experts and activists from non-governmental organisations. We have always believed that a reform of the public sector and fighting corruption represent one of the priorities of our country on its way towards Europe. That is why a branch of Transparency International, a leading international non-governmental organisation dealing with this phenomenon, has been established within the framework of the European Movement in Serbia.

I am certain that this conference will point out the key problems in connection with fighting corruption in our society, as well as useful experiences and the best possible methodology for establishing strong and transparent institutions through the joint effort of institutions belonging to the governmental, private and non-governmental sector.

Danijel Pantić, M. Sc.

Secretary General
European Movement in Serbia