Deputy Chair of the Committee for the Selection and Oversight of the Agency for the Prevention of Corruption and Coordination of the Fight Against Corruption, Ermina Salkičević-Dizdarević, participated in the opening of the EU Twinning project "Strengthening the Capacities of APIK."

Deputy Chair of the Committee for the Selection and Oversight of the Agency for the Prevention of Corruption and Coordination of the Fight Against Corruption (APIK), Ermina Salkičević-Dizdarević, participated in the opening of the EU Twinning project "Strengthening the Capacities of APIK." aimed at enhancing the key technical and functional capacities of APIK to enable Bosnia and Herzegovina to adequately develop strategic policies for combating corruption.

In her address to the officials from the European Union (EU) in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as representatives of BiH institutions, Salkičević-Dizdarević particularly emphasized APIK's proactive work on the development of the Anti-Corruption Strategy for 2024-2028, considering that the last valid strategy was created for the period of 2015-2019. She also highlighted the importance of the link between the fight against corruption, economic growth, and development, as well as its impact on the overall perception of the state in one society.

Salkičević-Dizdarević expressed her expectation that this project will significantly contribute to the promotion and improvement of two key segments of the 2024-2028 Strategy, namely:

- Improvement of the regulatory framework for combating corruption and the adoption of laws such as: the Law on the Agency for the Prevention of Corruption and Coordination of the Fight Against Corruption, the Law on the Protection of Whistleblowers in BiH Institutions, the Law on Transparency of Media Ownership, the Law on the Seizure and Management of Assets, the Law on Political Party Financing in BiH, and the Election Law of BiH.

- Implementation of GRECO recommendations from the fifth evaluation round related to the prevention of corruption and the promotion of integrity in executive functions and law enforcement agencies.

In addition to Salkičević-Dizdarević, the significance of this Twinning project was discussed also by the Head of the EU Delegation and Special Representative in BiH, Ambassador Luigi Soreca; the Director of APIK, Elvis Kondžić; the Deputy Head of the Italian Embassy in BiH, Lorenzo Donatelli; the President of the Italian National Anti-Corruption Agency, Giuseppe Busia; the Director of the Special Investigation Service of the Republic of Lithuania, Linas Pernavas; and the Secretary General of the Italian Anti-Corruption Agency and leader of the Twinning project, Filipo Romano.

The Twinning project "Strengthening the Capacities of APIK," funded by the EU, will have a budget of one million euros and will be implemented over the next two years. The project will be carried out by the Italian National Anti-Corruption Agency and the Special Investigation Service of the Republic of Lithuania, with additional support from anti-corruption experts from Austria and Germany. (end)