Moldovan parliament speaker meets president of Global Organisation of Parliamentarians Against Corruption

Chisinau, 11 April /MOLDPRES/ - The fight against corruption is a priority of the Moldovan parliament, which is set to adopt an action plan for preventing and fighting corruption, as well as a code of ethic conduct for MPs, in the near future. Parliament Speaker Andrian Candu made statements to this effect at a today’s meeting with Honoured President of the Global Organisation of Parliamentarians Against Corruption (GOPAC) John Glass Williams, the parliament’s communication and public relations department has reported.      

Andrian Candu also informed about the creation of an anti-corruption working group between the parliament and the civil society, in order to ensure a more active involvement of the associative sector in the parliamentary work, respectively, the openness of the institutions towards citizens.    

According to the speaker, the parliament has a special role in developing the legislation and mechanisms of fighting corruption. Yet, it should be made sure, through parliamentary control, that these mechanisms are functional. “Proceeding from the adoption of the so-called integrity package, the lawmakers must also more actively get involved and use the parliamentary control, in order to make sure that both the institutions in charge of the anti-corruption fight and the government do their jobs well in the service of citizens,” Andrian Candu said.      

The parliament speaker also touched upon actions undertaken by the parliament to enhance the institution’s transparency and openness towards the society. In this context, Candu highlighted the e-parliament initiative and the soon launch of a webpage of the parliament, aimed at simplifying the way public interest information is sought and found.

Honoured President of the Global Organisation of Parliamentarians Against Corruption John Glass Williams referred to the goals of the organisation he represents and informed about an intention to set up a GOPAC branch in Moldova. According to Williams, the basic objective of the branch resides in providing assistance and developing MPs’ capacities in terms of effective approaching corruption and supervising institutions competent with fighting this phenomenon. “We welcome Moldova’s initiative to join efforts of parliamentarians at international level in fighting corruption. GOPAC is a global network, which brings together lawmakers from all over the world and can provide expertise to MPs in carrying out the country’s anti-corruption agenda,” John Glass Williams said.    

The Moldovan parliament’s plan of anticorruption actions includes about 60 initiatives, due to be implemented in 2016-2018, which are given final touches in the commission for national security, defence and public order. The document comprises specific actions for the prevention and monitoring the fight against corruption, parliament’s cooperation with other institutions, consolidation of the duty of parliamentary control and ensuring the transparency of the legislative institution.    

The code of ethic conduct for MPs will ensure the openness and raising the  lawmakers’ awareness, in order to strengthen the society’s confidence in parliament and the good governance in Moldova. The document is considered in the parliament’s juridical commission for rules and immunities. On 12 April, the MPs are to convene at a roundtable to discuss the document with international experts.    

The two documents were worked out with the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), within a project titled, Improving Democracy in Moldova through Parliamentary and Electoral Support, financed by the Swedish government.   

(Editor M. Jantovan)