Lack of political will impedes fight against corruption

TIRANA, June 21 – Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia and Turkey must do more to guarantee the effective implementation of anti-corruption laws, said the latest report released by Transparency International, which calls on the governments to build capacity and improve governance in key institutions.
“There is a need for stronger political will to tackle the problem of corruption in these countries. Ensuring that anti-corruption reforms are implemented and irreversible is essential to provide for a credible accession process and uniform approach to corruption across Europe,” said Jana Mittermaier, Head of the TI Liaison Office to the European Union.
The accession process to the EU requires countries to meet certain financial, economic, social and political standards. This includes progress in the area of anti-corruption and good governance, which has proven a critical stumbling block for candidates and potential candidate countries.
The new report assesses anti-corruption progress in four countries based on an evaluation of the institutions and anti-corruption laws in place.
The findings show that while the legal and regulatory frameworks are often in place, implementation of anti-corruption laws and sanctioning of non-compliance is lacking across all four countries. Low capacity and weak governance in the judiciary, legislature and public administration help explain this gap between law and practice in each country.
In Albania the continued stalemate between political parties has stalled important reforms for the past two years. The judicial system needs reforms to ensure independence and the accountability and professionalism of judges. This includes increasing capacity and developing more precise criteria for the appointment of judges, and limited immunity in the event of misconduct and corruption. There is also political interference in the appointment of civil servants, and the parliament lacks a professional and independent administration.