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Description
The project aims to deliver shared anticorruption solutions to increase the accountability of state institutions and strengthen civil society and the rule of law in SEE through capacity building on implementing best practice European social research innovation instruments. The action aims to close anticorruption policy implementation and public procurement gaps across SEE, which will amplify the impact of the planned increase in EU infrastructure support until 2025. The focus will be placed on 9 beneficiary countries (Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Romania, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia).
The public-private partnership approach will allow target groups to share solutions across EU and non-EU borders in SEE, based on 4 pillars:
- Established Regional Good Governance Public-Private Partnership Platform (R2G4P) which will create a sustainable regional public-private partnership for shared good governance solutions.
- Increased capacity of public institutions and NGOs to diagnose and tackle corruption risks through 4 specialised three-day regional trainings for R2G4P members and annual summer school for 25 outside participants. The training modules will include: a) MACPI: Monitoring Anticorruption Policy Implementation; b) Opentender.eu: big data and network analysis to develop innovative risk indicators; and c) tackling state (policy, regulatory) capture and emerging corruption risks. Manuals will guide each module.
- Designed shared management and policy anti-corruption solutions, through producing annual SEE Good Governance Reports, each accompanied by 9 anticorruption reviews for public institutions, based on MACPI and opentender.eu methods.
- Communication and engagement strategy, including an opening conference, annual policy forums, and a closing summit.
Summary of project results
The project aimed at developing shared anticorruption solutions to increase the accountability of state institutions and strengthen civil society and the rule of law in SEE through capacity building on implementing best practice European social research innovation instruments and enhancing public, private, academic and media stakeholders knowledge on corruption risk assessments, tackling strategic corruption, state capturte and kleptocracy, tracking of illicit wealth, and utilizing procurement and company big data for evidence-based policy-making.. for p
From 2021 to 2023, project spearheaded a comprehensive set of initiatives and approaches promoting good governance across Southeast Europe. R2G4P fostered inclusive dialogue, strengthened regional networks, and championed anti-corruption initiatives. It provided a platform for discussion, generation of ideas, exchange of good practices and policy recommendation endorsement for CSOs and government bodies from 9 countries, as well as CMI, RAI and RCC. The three manuals, specialized three-day regional trainings forproject members and the annual summer schools were prepared. The platform identified and analyzed pressing governance issues, such as:
- the nexus between corruption, state capture, and national security;
- the challenges to the public procurement integrity;
- the (mis)management of state-owned enterprises;
- the need for robust asset declaration checks;
- the perils of political pressure and bias in budgetary allocation at central and local level.
The project significantly bolstered the capacity and understanding of corruption risks through 4 trainings, 3 summer schools, 3 training manuals among 322 civil society and public sector representatives. It shared anti-corruption solutions in its 3 SEE Good Governance Reports, 2 policy briefs, 3 policy forums, 1 closing summit, and 3 webinars. R2G4P also set in place procedures for regular improvement of anti-corruption measures and accountability of public institutions by performing 27 rounds of the MACPI tool in 9 countries.
Project partners'' unwavering commitment to combating corruption was further exemplified by submitting joint statements and recommendations to the CoSP10 (2023) and the Rule of Law Reports for 2023 and 2024. The message resonated far and wide. The initiative advocated for needed reforms during 33 meetings with policy-makers, engaged 2,969 people and 250 CSOs directly, and reached over 1 million people through conventional and social media.
The project extended its reach and impact by forging strategic partnerships with a wide array of stakeholders, international organizations, government bodies, and civil society groups, including the European Parliament, the European Commission, the European Chief Prosecutor’s Office, Europol, local authorities from the SEE region, anti-corruption and integrity agencies, Norwegian and other EU and SEE embassies, the European Investment Bank, OECD-Sigma, UNCAC, UNODC, the Regional Anti-Corruption Initiative, RACVIAC, the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), and the Interdisciplinary Corruption Research Network (ICRN). Going forward,the project remains steadfast in its mission to support good governance reforms in SEE. The platform will continue to provide technical support to public bodies, update national anti-corruption strategies, and collaborate with the EPPO and other EU and national bodies.
Summary of bilateral results
The expertise partners from CMI (Norway):designed and ran instruction sessions at three summer school, sharing knowledge on best international practices, as well as key findings on new emerging topics from the work of the U4 anti-corruption center (part of CMI);provided guidance on how R2G4P''s advocacy efforts could be enhanced, and how the anti-corruption reforms could be sustained through building of coalitions, leadership, analysis, and behavioural change;supported the process of attracting government representatives as speakers at R2G4P knowledge-sharing and policy events;supported the design of analytical reports, including advice on methodologies used;critically reviewed all three SEE Good Governance reports, providing comments that informed draft revisions;supported project operations, through active contribution in monthly meetings, supplying subscriptions and books for the consortium, regular financial reporting;supported communications and outreach, including via use of CMI’s communications team for social media, as well as by preseting CMI’s knowledge on communication and advocacy during a workshop;led the process of opening a call and contracting an external evaluator to assess the impact of the R2G4P initiative, as well as the level of cooperation between donor and beneficiary states.