The 4th Meeting of the Council of Europe Šibenik Network of Corruption Prevention Agencies took place in Tunis on 17-18 October 2019. The event was organised with the support of joint programmes cofunded by the European Union and the Council of Europe, and implemented by the latter, namely the South Programme III, the PAII-T (Project to Support Independent Bodies in Tunisia), and the Horizontal Facility II (Horizontal Facility for Western Balkans and Turkey). The meeting brought together representatives of the anti-corruption and prevention agencies from 15 countries, including Albania, Azerbaijan, Benin, Croatia, Estonia, France, Italy, Jordan, North Macedonia, Morocco, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Tunisia and Ukraine.
The meeting, which aimed at enhancing cross-Mediterranean partnerships and exchanges of good practices in the anti-corruption field, saw the accession of Jordan, Morocco, North Macedonia and Tunisia to the Network, while the Tunisian Anti-corruption Authority (INLUCC) signed Memorandums of Understanding with its Moroccan and Jordanian counterparts.
The Network of Corruption Prevention Agencies was established in Šibenik (Croatia) with the support of the Council of Europe in October 2018 and strives to enhance international coordination of preventative measures in the fight against corruption and to improve mechanisms to share good practices among corruption prevention bodies. The Network currently consists of 21 anti-corruption authorities, mostly from European countries, but also Benin and Ivory Coast, and most recently the MENA (Middle East North Africa) region. It is supported by the Council of Europe Group of States against Corruption (GRECO).
The accession of anti-corruption authorities of Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia to the Šibenik Network marks the enhancement of collaboration opportunities in the anti-corruption field between state authorities in the MENA region and Council of Europe Member States by facilitating the exchange of anti-corruption good practices and establishing information exchange channels, while also providing international exposure of anti-corruption agencies of the region. This development represents a hallmark of Council of Europe cooperation efforts in the MENA region since 2012.
In addition, the Palestinian* Anti-Corruption Commission joined the above mentioned southern Mediterranean beneficiaries who have signed the Šibenik Declaration to join the Network of Corruption Prevention Agencies (NCPA) on 17 December 2019 in Abu Dhabi, on the sidelines of the 8th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption.
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* This designation shall not be construed as a recognition of the State of Palestine and is without prejudice to the individual positions of the Council of Europe and European Union member States on this issue.
The South Programme III is a joint programme of the Council of Europe and the European Union, financed by the European Union and the Council of Europe and implemented by the Council of Europe.