Tag Archives | Czech Republic

“Perspectives from the North” – corruption lessons for the Czech Republic

Why are Nordic countries seen as having lower levels of public sector corruption than other European countries? What experiences do these countries have in fighting corruption, and what can weaker performing countries like the Czech Republic learn? It was questions like these that our recent conference “Corruption-free society: Perspectives from the North” set out to […]

Read full story Comments { 0 }

What does monitoring campaign finance tell us about Czech elections?

Transparency International Czech Republic has been monitoring campaign financing in the eight largest Czech cities and the results are not good. They show that nearly one-third of the parties monitored posted a near-failing grade for transparency. The recently published results show how secretive campaign income and expenses have become as campaigns get more expensive. Due […]

Read full story Comments { 0 }

Czech construction job: honest official makes sure citizens win

Unhošť is a small, sleepy town about 20 kilometres from Prague’s city centre – home to around 3,500 inhabitants. Normally, this is a peaceful place, but a controversy a few years ago has taken its toll on the community. It all began when a newly elected politician decided to look into the town’s finances. He […]

Read full story Comments { 1 }

Defence: why it’s vital for countries to walk the anti-corruption talk

It is not just enough to talk about fighting corruption or even to sign an international convention outlawing it; it’s actions that count. But recent scandals in the defence sector show that, for some countries, the ride ahead is still very long and bumpy. Take, for example, the recent developments in the AgustaWestland scandal, in […]

Read full story Comments { 0 }

Corruption is still a problem for Croatia

Croatia becomes EU member number 28 on 1 July. After Tudjman and Milosevic and a bloody war 20 years ago in the Balkans, this is definitely good news for both the European Union and Croatia. The new story of the Balkans started with disintegration 20-odd years ago, but Croatia’s membership is a clear sign of […]

Read full story Comments { 2 }

Czech political scandal shows a strengthening of the rule of law

When police raided 31 homes in the Czech Republic last week, seized $7.8 million and arrested five people including the Prime Minister’s chief of staff, it shocked most people. This was not only because of the crimes themselves, as Radim Bureš of Transparency International Czech Republic explains, but because the public prosecutors had carried out […]

Read full story Comments { 2 }

Cleaning up public procurement in the Czech Republic

When the phone rang, it was clear the caller was scared. He worked in the government, he said. He had information on a huge public tender that he needed to share. He had tried to complain to his superiors about the bidding process, but they had rebuffed his allegations. Now he wanted to speak out, […]

Read full story Comments { 8 }

Health Czech! Any surprising results from the Czech Integrity System assessment?

Recently TI Czech Republic launched a National Integrity System (NIS) assessment providing a ‘health check’ of the key governance institutions in the country, with special emphasis on how well resourced they are, how they fare on integrity, accountability and transparency, and whether they perform their role in the anti-corruption effort. It is part of a […]

Read full story Comments { 1 }

Building momentum from the top-down and the bottom-up – the National Integrity System way…

Suzanne Mulcahy, Research Coordinator for National Integrity Systems Assessments at Transparency International, discusses the impact this tool can have on societies.   The recent publication of the 2011 Corruption Perceptions Index has put the spotlight on corruption risks in countries around the globe. Raising awareness about corruption is crucial – but the next step is […]

Read full story Comments { 1 }
ENIS map

Corruption in Europe: Taking the pulse, prescribing reform

Paul Zoubkov and Helen Turek talk about Transparency International’s Europe wide initiative to improve national anti-corruption systems. Good governance, accountability and rule of law are among the key hallmarks of a healthy society, and yet right across Europe, there is a deep sense of frustration that key national institutions and actors are not living up […]

Read full story Comments { 4 }