A lack of progress fighting corruption in five Eastern European countries is hampering democratic progress and undermining the prospect of greater economic and political cooperation with the European Union, warns Transparency International.
Its new report, “The State of Corruption: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine”, assesses more than 60 institutions responsible for preventing and fighting corruption, and finds the judiciary, legislature and civil society to be especially weak due to political interference and a lack of independent oversight.
While all five countries have adopted anti-corruption laws, political and business elites exert influence over important watchdog institutions, such as the judiciary and legislature, allowing their power to go unchecked and limiting the effectiveness of law enforcement, the anti-corruption pressure group says. Politically motivated prosecutions and government interference to circumvent judicial processes are especially problematic in Ukraine and Moldova – where several judges have been convicted of receiving bribes, the anti-corruption campaigners say.
Over the next five years, the EU’s neighbouring partner countries are set to receive at least €15 billion in assistance from the EU. The risk of this money going into corrupt pockets rather than helping people live better lives is unacceptably high.
Anne Koch, Director of Europe and Central Asia Department, Transparency International, says: “The system of checks and balances against corruption across these countries lacks oversight or accountability. Corrupt individuals – be they politicians or businesspersons – are often able to get away without worry of prosecution.”
The region has also seen a growing trend of restrictions on non-state watchdogs – media and civil society – with intimidation, harassment, persecution and detainment of civic activists and journalists in Armenia and, in particular, in Azerbaijan of major concern. After over ten years of engagement between the EU and its eastern neighbours, the Eastern Partnership is at a turning point, with concrete proposals for reform to be announced in autumn 2015, TI points out. It adds that the onus to tackle corruption is not only on the partner countries – it is a mutual responsibility, and the EU must also step up its efforts to ensure partner countries uphold their commitment to fight corruption.
Without specific anti-corruption commitments and priorities defined by the EU, and without support and dialogue with civil society as a key partner in the region, the cooperation between the EU and the partner countries to fight corruption could be at risk, Transparency International warns. It calls on Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine to:
Implement urgent judicial reforms and ensure effective and impartial prosecution of corruption offences.
Strengthen external oversight of the government, ensuring that sanctions are imposed for failure to act on findings of external oversight agencies.
Support a free and vibrant civil society sector, including ending legal and financial restrictions on civil society organisations and ending all forms of intimidation, harassment and persecution of civil society activists and journalists.
