In order to effectively prevent corruption, it is necessary to adopt laws that have quality and implement them, and the precondition for this is to have political will, indicated Minister of European Integration Jadranka Joksimović, stressing that “the political will of the Government of Serbia has been unequivocally demonstrated”.
“It exists and has been proven many times. Through the most recent activities regarding the legislative framework we have clearly been demonstrating that the fight against corruption is one of the priorities of this government’s work”, emphasised Joksimović.
She has assessed that EU membership is not a guarantee for the eradication of corruption, as, even today, many Member States are facing problems with corruption.
She has emphasised the importance of the legislative framework, which, according to her, is often subordinate to the effective implementation of the law.
“I think that we sometimes underestimate the importance of establishing a legislative framework, but without it - what would we be doing? Only the existence of an effective law allows a gradual, permanent and irreversible change in behaviour and the reduction of corruptive thinking and conduct”, said the Minister.
In her opinion, EU candidate countries are not the only ones susceptible to corruptive behaviour and thinking.
“It is sometimes unfair to say that certain nations or countries are more corrupt than others, because what has wrongly profiled the interpretation of the public interest in this region are the events of the 1990s, which in a serious, profound and systemic manner disrupted the correct understanding of the interpretation of the public interest and led to systemic problems in respect of corruptive thinking and conduct”, stated Joksimović.
This, as she has noted, was recognised by citizens who had previously supported the platform of the new anti-corruption policy as the crucial segment for the rule of law, its strengthening and the return of confidence in the state and its institutions.
As regards the legislative framework, she has indicated that there have indeed been delays, but that Serbia, guided by the recommendations and experience of many Member States, has followed the principle “quality before speed”.
She has pointed out that it is never late to adopt such a law, because it is a systemic, umbrella law aimed at preventing corruption.
She has noted that according to the latest public opinion poll conducted by the Ministry of European Integration, 21% of the citizens recognised the fight against corruption as the vital topic that affected their daily lives, trust in institutions and public officials and the manner they perceived protection of the public interest, all in correlation to the process of European integration.
“According to the same opinion poll, we have raised the percentage of citizens who believe that the reform process should be implemented independently of the European integration process to 75 percent, which is a powerful motivational factor for continuing on our path”, said Joksimović.
Noting that the EU is assisting Serbia in all of the current reform processes, the Minister has said that the EU is not only Serbia’s foreign policy priority, but also a strategic partner in the reform processes.
“That is what citizens expect from European integration”, concluded Joksimović.
Source: Tanjug
