ZAGREB, 23 November, 2021 - Fighting bribery in international business transactions is increasingly important for good governance and sustainable development, it was said at a conference organised in Zagreb on Tuesday by the Justice and Public Administration Ministry, the European Commission and the OECD.
The day-long conference on the impact of the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention and new perspectives in Croatia brought together experts from member states of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OECD) and Croatia. It was part of efforts to raise awareness of the importance of the struggle against bribery in international business transactions.
The convention on further combating bribery of foreign public officials in international business transactions has so far been signed by 44 countries, of which 38 are OECD members.
Addressing the event, Croatian Justice and Public Administration Minister Ivan Malenica said that the fight against foreign bribery was a prerequisite for creating a safe environment for foreign investment and for strengthening the national economy and international trade.
Croatia is particularly committed to adjusting its national norms and institutional framework to international standards for the struggle against bribery, the minister said.
Croatia applied for OECD membership in January 2017, and in October of that year the government also applied for admission to the OECD Working Group on Bribery in International Business Transactions, which was established in in 1994 and is responsible for monitoring the implementation and enforcement of the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention.
Mathilde Mesnard, Acting Director of the OECD Directorate for Financial and Enterprise Affairs, said that the OECD supported Croatia's efforts to join the convention.
Nathalie Berger, Director for the European Commission's Support to the European Union's Member State reforms, said that the EC was strongly committed to providing support to EU member states to curb corruption and bribery while offering financial and technical assistance in efforts to eradicate corruption.
Answering questions from the press, she said that they were satisfied with the cooperation with the Croatian authorities in this regard.
