COOPERATION BETWEEN THE AGENCY FOR THE PREVENTION OF CORRUPTION AND THE MINISTRY OF STATE ADMINISTRATION AND LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMENT

09.07.2024.

The Director of the Agency, Dejan Damnjanović, met today with the Minister of State Administration and Local Self-Government, Jelena Žarić Kovačević, to discuss the results of their cooperation thus far and outline the next steps necessary for continuing joint activities in line with the defined priorities of public administration reform.

Recognizing that the integrity of public administration is the fundamental basis for building trust between institutions and citizens, one of the meeting's topics was the implementation of the project "Introduction of Ethics and Integrity Officers in the Public Administration of the Republic of Serbia." This project aims to strengthen integrity and ethical standards in public administration. The activities within the project are part of the Strategy for Public Administration Reform in the Republic of Serbia for the period from 2021 to 2030.

Director Damnjanović reported to the minister on the measures the Agency has taken so far to fulfill the recommendations of the Group of States against Corruption of the Council of Europe (GRECO). In this context, they agreed on joint preparations for the participation of the Delegation of the Republic of Serbia and discussed the necessary activities for aligning with GRECO's international recommendations in the upcoming Sixth Evaluation Round, which will begin in 2025. The topic of this Evaluation Round is the prevention of corruption and the promotion of integrity and ethical principles and standards at the local and regional, and decentralized level.