In a report published today, the Council of Europe’s Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) calls on the Czech authorities to make substantial reforms to strengthen the prevention of corruption among parliamentarians, judges and prosecutors (see also the Czech version of the report)
GRECO specifically calls on the Czech authorities to further increase the transparency of the legislative process. In the absence of any lobbying regulations, it recommends introducing rules for members of parliament on how to interact with third parties seeking to influence the legislative process and that such interactions be made more transparent.
Moreover, the rules on parliamentarians’ asset declarations need to be further amended. To that effect, draft legislation to amend the Act on Conflicts of Interest – currently pending before Parliament – is a step in the right direction. At the same time, GRECO calls for more effective supervision and enforcement of the rules in practice.
GRECO concludes that there is a clear need to amend the regulation on the recruitment and career advancement of judges, in particular to ensure that decisions are based on pre-established objective criteria, notably merit. It also recommends making more transparent the selection procedures for the appointment of the Supreme Public Prosecutor and other chief public prosecutors, and that their recall be only possible in the context of disciplinary proceedings. (more...)
