The publication "Fight against corruption in Serbia – between the National Strategy and the Action Plan" has been presented in Belgrade today. The book comprises the proceedings on the problem of corruption and different ways to tackle this issue. 

The President of the Anti-Corruption Council, Mrs. Verica Barac, a co-editor of the book, pointed out at the press conference that the publication was written to indicate the problems in the fight against corruption and why it gives poor results. She specified that since 2001, a significant improvement occurred because the then Government admitted the corruption as a ‘’burning problem’’.

The Anti-Corruption Council was established, a set of anti-corruption rules were adopted. The Anti-Corruption National Strategy was also adopted, but we are still without the Action Plan for its implementation. According to her words, these anti-corruption laws are being applied selectively. Mrs. Barac stated the example of the Law on Public Procurement adopted in 2002, and the non-existence of the State Audit Institution, and added that an investigation should be performed to show why these laws give no better results.  She specified that corruption is a public problem, which can no longer stay hidden, and that the authorities, by arresting members of different criminal groups – bankruptcy, highway, and other Mafia, try to make an impression that the problem is being taken care of. According to her, the corruption issue is much deeper then this – it is systemic, and has to be tackled as such.

Political annalists, Mr. Zoran Lutovac, also a co-editor of the book, said in his presentation "From party state to the rule of law in the fight against corruption" that Serbia is a party state. This, stated he, was acknowledged by the new Constitution which canceled the free mandate of the MP’s as one of the basic democracy rules. He pointed out that the latest example of the "sixth principle" represents an attempt made by parties to demonstrate that they dispose of the votes of their constituents, and not an example that they fight to earn their votes and justify them. 

Mrs. Radmila Vasic, Professor at the Faculty of Law in Belgrade, pointed out that corruption devastates the institutions and that the non-existence of the institutions creates a corruption prone environment. She said there is a "small" and "grand" corruption and that the "grand" corruption is a systemic one, supported and facilitated by the system. Also, that the corruption is based on the system and that is has been performed continuously. Laws are made only to "throw dust in the public’s eye", a mere window dressing, and to show the European public that we are on the path of the fulfillment of the European standards, added Mrs. Vasic. 

Member of the Anti-Corruption Council, Mr. Danilo Sukovic pointed out to the problem of corruption in the privatization procedure in Serbia. He said that the lack of the transparency of the regulations, great discretion powers, as well as the fact that there is no control of the origin of the money with which the companies are being privatized, represents the major obstacle for the fight against corruption in that field. 

Chief Executive of the Office for Combating Organized Crime, Mr. Josip Bogic, pointed out to the problem of corruption in police, and indicated that we are dealing with a ‘’ one-party police’’ in which people are selected by their party membership.