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By Christian Pfeifer
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The European Commission recently delayed a final decision about the accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the European Union, pressing for greater inroads on corruption and judicial reform. Transparency International has worked to combat corruption in the Balkans since the late 1990s, implementing three central programmes in the region: |
·Strengthening Civil Society’s Capacity to Combat Corruption in South Eastern Europe, funded by the German Development Ministry;
·Western Balkan Accountability Programme, funded by the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs;
·Advocacy and Legal Advice Centres Programme, funded by the German Foreign Ministry and the European Commission.
TI’s national chapters play an active role in monitoring progress against corruption in the candidate countries, contributing to the EU’s annual reports on progress towards membership and drafting and promoting anti-corruption laws. In Bulgaria and Romania, chapters have successfully campaigned for anti-corruption legislation, drafted laws, assisted citizens affected by corruption and monitored enforcement of new anti-corruption standards.
Results of these programmes include the foundation and strengthening of anti-corruption civil society groups; drafting and promoting anti-corruption reforms; raising awareness of corruption in the public and media; and establishment of 11 Advocacy and Legal Advice Centres where citizens can receive legal advice on corruption-related problems. For more information on the EU-accession process, see: