Little Progress in Anti-Corruption Measures in South Caucasus: Transparency International

Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia have made little progress in the past year adopting or implementing anti-corruption measures, according to the latest assessment reports released Wednesday by Transparency International, which calls on the governments of these countries to introduce greater transparency and accountability in all areas of government.

The reports, which were compiled by TI chapters in each country, focus on reforms in the judiciary and in the public sector and they assess whether each country is complying with international anti-corruption conventions and implementing recommendations made by the Group of States against Corruption (GRECO), the Council of Europe body that monitors anti-corruption efforts.

Now in their second edition, the TI reports show that there has been some improvement in Georgia with the introduction of an electronic procurement system but neither Armenia nor Azerbaijan has successfully implemented anti-corruption reforms.

“These new reports show that not enough is being done. Countries in the region should move quickly to strengthen anti-corruption policies and good governance. They should take note that citizens are no longer willing to be passive spectators; they are increasingly showing that they are tired of mismanagement and corruption,” said Jana Mittermaier, Head of TI’s Liaison Office to the European Union.

The section on Armenia notes that there’s been only little change in the country throughout 2010, “particularly in the areas concerning judicial reform and civil service administration, which are seen to lack independence and transparency and in the case of the civil service administration is highly politicized.

“Some progress has been made regarding the implementation of some of the GRECO recommendations, in particular, the adoption of guidelines for the detection of corruption offenses, the abolition of parliamentary immunity and a way to handle complaints about breaches of ethical rules within the public administration. However, in all three areas implementation remains the main challenge.”