Reconstruction of the State: creating civil society partnerships for advocacy of anti-corruption law

Project facts

Project promoter:
Frank Bold Society
Project Number:
CZ03-0052
Target groups
Civil servants/Public administration staff,
Non governmental organisation
Status:
Completed
Initial project cost:
€83,792
Final project cost:
€83,653
From EEA Grants:
€ 74,934
The project is carried out in:
Praha

Description

The Czech Republic suffers from what has been described as “state capture”—an excessive exploitation of public resources by the ruling elite. The existence of clientelist networks, which influence the decision-making processes concerning public money within the environment of organized political corruption, has been repeatedly described not only by Czech anti-corruption NGOs but also in the reports of international institutions such as GRECO, OECD, and European Commission. “Reconstruction of the State” is a joint national advocacy project of Czech anti-corruption NGOs which seeks to tackle the problem of political corruption and misuse of public funds. The project’s main objective is the adoption of nine specific anti-corruption laws through expert, advocacy and media work; while also strengthening Czech civil society and its role in the development of a legal framework for transparency and monitoring its implementation. More about Reconstruction of the State here and here.

Summary of project results

The project followed up on an already existing joint advocacy project of twenty Czech anti-corruption NGOs entitled “Reconstruction of the State” which aims at a long-term systemic solution to the problem of political corruption and misuse of public funds in the Czech Republic; namely, at the adoption of nine key anti-corruption laws. During the project, three out of the nine promoted laws have been adopted (one was already passed before the start of the project): amendment to the Rules of Procedure of the Chamber of Deputies, amendment to the Civil Service Act, and the Act on the Register of Contracts. Thanks to the amended Rules of Procedure, for example, it will be more difficult in the future to add last-minute “riders” to the debated legislation. The new Act on the Register of Contracts will bring more transparency into public contracting; contracts concluded by the State and public institutions will be mandatorily disclosed in a central online register. Another three laws are currently being discussed by the Parliament (political party financing, conflict of interest, and extension of powers of the Supreme Audit Office); the remaining two are being prepared at the government level (nominations to the supervisory boards of state companies and the Public Prosecution Act). We prepared the total of 30 position papers and recommendations on the promoted laws; and carried out more than 60 personal meetings with politicians. We have engaged about 500 online supporters, and at least 20 very active “ambassadors” of the project. Furthermore, we provided free legal support to active citizens and local civil society organizations promoting transparent public administration at the local level. We collaborated with a range of partners and supporters, such as external experts and members of the business community. Information on the promoted anti-corruption laws was also shared with the media and supporters throughout the project.

Summary of bilateral results