Business joins fight against corruption in Slovakia

Business leaders are joining non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the fight against corruption in Slovakia, which is ranked as one of the most corrupt EU countries, the Slovak Spectator reported June 9.

“We like to see that the private sector is also joining the fight against corruption,” said Gabriel  Sipos, director of Transparency International Slovensko.

NGOs active in Slovakia have focused on holding public institutions to account, for instance by monitoring public tenders and encouraging the implementation of freedom of information laws. Business leaders are looking to compliment this work by forming new anti-corruption groups, such as the Fund for a Transparent Slovakia and the Slovak Compliance Circle.

“It is important that companies set up processes and maintain ethical principles during everyday decisions and eliminate the risk of corrupt behaviour,” said Beata Hlavcakova, executive director of the Business Leaders Forum.

Slovakia ranks No. 61 out of a 177 countries surveyed for the Corruption Perception Index, published by Transparency International. This positions Slovakia as the fifth most corrupt country in the European Union. Key areas of concern highlighted by Transparency International include: the police, which have failed to prosecute public officials; the judiciary, which is weakened by “excessive political interference;” political financing, which is plagued by conflicts of interest; and the healthcare sector, where bribes are commonplace.

The Slovak Compliance Circle was founded earlier this year by the German-Slovak Chamber of Commerce (SNOPK), in collaboration with KPMG Slovensko and law firm Lansky, Ganzger & Partner Rechtsanwalte. A wide range of companies joined the initiative immediately, including: Atos IT Solutions and Services, Continental Matador Rubber, Hewlett-Packard Slovakia, Mercedes-Benz Slovakia, Mondi SCP, Siemens, Slovak Telekom, Tatra Banka and Volkswagen Slovakia.

“Via the recently founded Slovak Compliance Circle, the companies involved want to set an example themselves that transparent and ethical business behaviour belongs among their top priorities,” Markus Halt, spokesman for SNOPK, told The Slovak Spectator.

Corruption is now high on the civil and political agenda in Slovakia, but major obstacles remain. While business leaders are taking steps to tackle the situation, the close links between business and political parties remain a problem. According to Sipos, there is reluctance among politicians and civil servants to reform, and although NGOs are maintaining the pressure, their budgets remain small.

“The annual budget of the three main Slovak anticorruption NGOs does not exceed EUR 800,000” Sipos told the Slovak Spectator.

“For comparison, about 7,000 tenders for EUR 7 billion are announced in Slovakia annually.”