Anti-corruption Strategies and Practices in the Southeast Europe

Corruption in Southeast Europe is one of the major policy agenda of national and international institutions. It is precisely because it has proven to be such an intractable issue that innovative approaches to its understanding – and hence its reduction – are warranted. The EU accession prospects for the countries in the region encouraged to design an enabling framework for action. Despite some important achievements – mostly with respect to the stabilisation of democratic institutions, the adoption of laws in key anticorruption areas, a reduction in petty bribery and growing public intolerance of corruption – anticorruption and good governance reforms are not consolidated, corruption among elected politicians and judges seems to be increasing and the enforcement of anticorruption legislation is haphazard. All countries have adopted some kind of strategic document containing their overall approach to tackling corruption. However, the implementation of these documents is generally hampered by insufficient resources and commitment at the governmental level. Besides, the strategic documents failed to prioritise any field or topic. This study has two objectives. First, it attempts to analyze the anti-corruption strategies of these countries in terms of aims, resources and tools. Second, it will compare and contrast the institutional practice and the enforcement of the law, the importance of an independent judiciary, business environment and informal economy, the role of civil society and the international cooperation in struggling against corruption. For the second part of this study, the author uses the recent Corruption Monitoring System data (2014) provided Southeast European Leadership for Democracy and Integrity and Centre for the Study of Democracy.