Transparency International Slovakia
Encyclopedia
Transparency International Slovakia (TIS) is a non-governmental organization
(NGO) which was established in 1998. It aims to increase transparency and create a corruption-free world by working together with the private sector, civil society and public sector. Corruption is rife and a major issue in Slovakia
. TIS focuses on policies involving local and regional governments to uphold democracy and a free market economy.
was not a transparent process, leading to many cases of embezzlement
. Many private firms were sold at a loss, leading some to bankruptcy
and causing negative fiscal impact on the Slovak economy. With the change to a new governance in October 1998, TIS was invited to monitor and increase the transparency level of the privatization process of Slovak Telecom and ultimately, reduce corruption.
ideas that would improve transparency. For instance, a major problem identified was with regard to the documentation language. Documents are written only in English
, a language of which command is imprecise, hence leaving the document open to interpretation.
In addition, TIS published news and information on the privatisation to educate and increase public awareness on transparency issues.
influence was exemplified during the process, through public outcry against corruption that led to the resignation of two corrupt officials, the first of its kind in the country. Realizing the need for a greater transparency level in the privatization process, TIS established and recommended numerous policies for administrative changes. These included:
statistics show that in the period after the policy implementation, corruption in Slovakia worsened from 0.31 in 2000 to 0.13 in 2002, thereafter the corruption index showed a general upward trend of an increase of the index by 0.3 points by 2008.
On the other hand, Transparency International statistics show that after 2000, corruption has been steadily decreasing in the country from 3.5 in 2000 to 4.98 in 2008 signaling a decrease by 1.48 index points.
Non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...
(NGO) which was established in 1998. It aims to increase transparency and create a corruption-free world by working together with the private sector, civil society and public sector. Corruption is rife and a major issue in Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
. TIS focuses on policies involving local and regional governments to uphold democracy and a free market economy.
Background of Corruption in Slovakia
Under the previous heavily corrupted governance (1994–1998), privatizationPrivatization
Privatization is the incidence or process of transferring ownership of a business, enterprise, agency or public service from the public sector to the private sector or to private non-profit organizations...
was not a transparent process, leading to many cases of embezzlement
Embezzlement
Embezzlement is the act of dishonestly appropriating or secreting assets by one or more individuals to whom such assets have been entrusted....
. Many private firms were sold at a loss, leading some to bankruptcy
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
and causing negative fiscal impact on the Slovak economy. With the change to a new governance in October 1998, TIS was invited to monitor and increase the transparency level of the privatization process of Slovak Telecom and ultimately, reduce corruption.
Goals of the Project
The main goals of the monitoring of the privatization process of Slovak Telecom in which Transparency International Slovakia participated as an independent observer were:- to observe the process in order to increase transparency and minimize the possibility of corruption
- to raise awareness of the general public about corruption and transparency issues in Slovakia, especially in privatization and public procurement tendersRequest for tenderA request for tender, commonly abbreviated to RFT, is a formal, structured invitation to suppliers for the supply of products or services. In the public sector, such a process may be required and determined in detail by law to ensure that such competition for the use of public money is open, fair...
.
Actions taken by TIS
TIS sought to improve transparency of the process by first forming a tri-party which, together with TIS, helped monitor the entire process, thereby increasing transparency. Observing the process also allowed TIS to brainstormBrainstorming
Brainstorming is a group creativity technique by which a group tries to find a solution for a specific problem by gathering a list of ideas spontaneously contributed by its members...
ideas that would improve transparency. For instance, a major problem identified was with regard to the documentation language. Documents are written only in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, a language of which command is imprecise, hence leaving the document open to interpretation.
In addition, TIS published news and information on the privatisation to educate and increase public awareness on transparency issues.
Results of the changes
Through the media, TIS managed to increase public interest and awareness on issues concerning transparency and anti-corruption. The extent of public participation and mediaBroadcasting
Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and video content to a dispersed audience via any audio visual medium. Receiving parties may include the general public or a relatively large subset of thereof...
influence was exemplified during the process, through public outcry against corruption that led to the resignation of two corrupt officials, the first of its kind in the country. Realizing the need for a greater transparency level in the privatization process, TIS established and recommended numerous policies for administrative changes. These included:
- “Privatization Information Minimum”
- “Public Procurement Information Minimum”
- Amendment of the Law on Public Procurement
- Working Group on Public Procurement
Post Evaluation Statistics
According to two reports, the progress of corruption in Slovakia remains unclear. World BankWorld Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programmes.The World Bank's official goal is the reduction of poverty...
statistics show that in the period after the policy implementation, corruption in Slovakia worsened from 0.31 in 2000 to 0.13 in 2002, thereafter the corruption index showed a general upward trend of an increase of the index by 0.3 points by 2008.
On the other hand, Transparency International statistics show that after 2000, corruption has been steadily decreasing in the country from 3.5 in 2000 to 4.98 in 2008 signaling a decrease by 1.48 index points.