Devising an Anti-Corruption Plan

Today, Aniko Muskinja Heinrich, the Provincial Ombudswoman, and Stevan Arambasic, Eva Vukasinovic and Danica Todorov, Deputy Ombudspersons, have met with Milos Mojsilovic and Nemanja Cocic, the representatives of the Serbian Anti-Corruption Agency.

They discussed the Agency's activities concerning devising local and provincial anti-corruption action plans. Since the Provincial Protector of Citizens - Ombudsman (PPCO) monitors the work of the provincial authorities, public companies and services founded by the Vojvodina Parliament, the information the PPCO has could, according to the representatives of the Agency, be useful in the process of devising a provincial anti-corruption plan.

Citizens often point out corruption as one of the major obstacles in the way of their human rights exercise. A significant proportion of their complaints concerns non-transparent decision-making regarding project funding awarded on the public services' calls for proposals. There is a lack of rulebooks concerning participation criteria in the public calls for proposals and no understanding of the essence of the discretionary authority. Applicants are often left with no possibility to use legal remedies. Formal procedures and deadlines are often not observed, with a series of other irregularities occurring along the way.

It has been agreed that the representatives of the PPCO will participate in the activities of the working group that will create a model of a provincial anti-corruption plan.