The Czech government yesterday agreed with the anti-corruption plan for next two years, Deputy Prime Minister Karolina Peake (LIDEM) told journalists after a government meeting.
The new strategy has two priorities with a focus on prevention, Peake said, adding that it has ten priorities and another 39 points in five categories.
“I am an advocate of the dictum ‘where the sun comes, no doctor is needed’ even in the struggle with corruption,” Peake said.
Based on a comprehensive analysis, also drafted by Transparency International, the plan focuses on prevention rather than fight against corruption.
Some priorities were taken up from an older strategy. One of them is the drafting of the law on civil servants with a view to depoliticise the civil service.
“yesterday, all the three coalition parties said for the first time it is the main task,” Peake said, adding that the coalition parties were now working on the new coalition pact that is to include the drafting of the legislation.
The strategy called “From corruption to integrity” focuses on a major amendment to the law on the clash of interests, public procurement and the state ownership policy, Peake said.
The government also discussed an analysis of the struggle with corruption in the private sphere, she added.
It analyses the extent of corruption on the border of the private sphere and the public sector, Peake said.
“It has turned out that in this sector, too, there is a big problem with corruption. It is another evidence that corruption is not only a political, but also social problem,” she added.
The analytical part of the strategy says since economic losses reach tens of billion crowns annually, curbing of corruption is one of the forms of budget accountability.
These are the ten priorities of the new anti-corruption strategy:
– New law on civil servants
– Law on clash of interests
– Law on free access to information
– Law on state attorney’s office
– Analysis of final owners
– Better protection of corruption whistle-blowers
– Financial control and audit
– Better state ownership policy
– Strategy and methodology of public procurement
– Anti-corruption programme, institutional support to the struggle with bribery.