In July 2017, the Trieste Summit took place introducing the topic of anti-corruption to the agenda of the Berlin Process for the first time. One year later, in July 2018, five of the six countries* in the Western Balkans stated their continuing commitment to the fight against corruption in preparation for the London Summit by announcing anti-corruption pledges. Serbia officially announced its anti-corruption commitment in Spring 2019. 

These pledges were ambitious and far-reaching, but they alone cannot end corruption. Rather they should be seen as a map to guide efforts in the upcoming months and years, which is why this year the topic of anti-corruption is once again on the agenda, although this time with the link to economic growth also emphasized. In this context, the Berlin Process has highlighted the tackling corruption as fundamental to strengthening the democratic and economic institutions of the states of the Western Balkans.

This event brings together civil society representatives from the region to enhance local cooperation in the fight against organized crime and corruption, two topics which are acknowledged to be closely interrelated in the Western Balkans.

* References to Kosovo made throughout this report are made without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.

Objectives of the panel

• Present the report “Hotspots of organized crime in the Western Balkans” which was launched by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime in May 2019
• Outline the progress of the Western Balkans countries’ anti-corruption commitment since the London Summit
• Discuss the role of civil society responding to organized crime and corruption to ensure economic growth
• Explore the role civil society can play in the region in building more effective relations across countries
• Provide examples of how civil society can better engage with governments

Moderator: Ambassador Dr. Ugljesa Ugi Zvekic – Senior Advisor at the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime

Dr. Ugljesa (Ugi) Zvekić, is a former Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia to the United Nations Office in Geneva (2009-2013); the former President of the General Assemblies of the World Intelectual Property Organization (WIPO) as well as the Chair of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). Until 1999 he was a Deputy Director of the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) based in Italy. From 1999 to 2004 he headed the anti-crime programme of the United Nations regional office for Southern Africa, based in Pretoria, South Africa. Until his retirement from the United Nations in September 2009, he was in charge of the Strategic Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in Vienna, Austria. He has published extensively on crime and development, and reform of the criminal justice system from the perspective of human rights and international standards. He has taught in many academic institutions worldwide.

Introductory remarks: Rt Hon Mr.  Ben Wallace MP, Minister of State for Security, United Kingdom

Ben Wallace was appointed Minister of State for Security and Economic Crime at the Home Office on 17 July 2016. He was elected the Conservative MP for Wyre and Preston North in May 2010. Ben attended the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst and Millfield School in Somerset. Ben and his family live in Lancashire. He enjoys rugby, skiing, motor sports and horse racing.

Panelists:

Fatjona Mejdini – Field Coordinator, the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime

Fatjona Mejdini has a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Tirana University and as a well a master’s degree in Public Administration. After a long carrier as a journalist for national media in Albania, she was awarded with Hubert H. Humphrey scholarship and spend a year of professional development in DC, US. In 2015 she joined Balkan Insight as a correspondent, reporting stories from different Balkans countries. In 2016 she also co-established Investigative Journalism Lab, an initiative to develop quality journalism for Albanian young journalists. She joined the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime as a field coordinator for the Balkans in September 2018.

Krisela Hackaj – Director of the Cooperation & Development Institute, Albania

Since 2011, Krisela Hackaj is the Director of the Cooperation and Development Institute, an Albanian independent Think Tank organization that focuses on research in regional cooperation, economic and social development dynamics and institutional governance. Her professional expertise covers EU cross border cooperation programmes and projects, national strategic framework monitoring and budgeting, and regional cooperation. Her main research topics relate to EU Integration process, regional cooperation, connectivity agenda and youth in the Western Balkans.

Florian Qehaja – Chair of the Board of the Kosovar Centre for Security Studies (KCSS)

Dr Qehaja is Chair of the Board of Kosovar Centre for Security Studies (KCSS), a prominent security-related think in the Western Balkans. He previously served as the Executive Director (2011-2018) and Head of Operations (2008-2011) in KCSS. As of January 2015, Dr. Qehaja coordinates the CIDS assistance of Norwegian MoD in the Kosovo MoD and MoIA. He also served as an external advisor for regional affairs for the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of Albania. He participated in key processes of security sector development in Kosovo. Dr. Qehaja is author of several academic and policy papers. His recent book is “International or Local Ownership? Security Sector Development in Post-Independent Kosovo”. It was published by Westphalia Press (2017). He holds a PhD on Security Studies from University of Ljubljana (Slovenia) followed by a Post-Doc at Columbia University (USA); MA on Contemporary European Studies from the University of Sussex (UK) and BA on Law from the University of Prishtina (Kosovo). He is married and has a son.  

Marko Vešović: Journalist at DAN Newspaper

Marko Vešović is a journalist from Montenegro. He was born on 12.03.1985 in Podgorica and continues to live there.  In 2006 he graduated from the Faculty of Political Science, Department of Journalism in Montenegro. Since 2006 he works as a political reporter for DAN newspaper in Montenegro. He mostly cover the country’s political situation, the fight against crime and corruption as well as the political development in the EU. In addition, he participated in international journalistic investigations done by Al Jazzerra and the Wall Street Journal.  

Slagjana Taseva – Chair of Transparency International North Macedonia

Professor Slagjana Taseva is professor in criminal law and criminology, Member of the Academic Advisory Board of the International Anticorruption Academy (IACA) in Laxemburg, Austria, former Committee member of the Afghanistan International Anti-Corruption Monitoring and Evaluation Committee(MEC) and Chair of TI Macedonia. Together with her children she has established EURISK Consulting, the Legal Consulting Company.

Being specialised in money laundering, financial crime, corruption and organised crime she holds a PhD in law from Sts. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje where she started her remarkable academic career. After having taught at various academic institutions she was appointed Director of the Police Academy in Skopje (which is a University member) in 2004. In 2006 she became Vice President of the Association of the European Police Colleges. In 2008 she was appointed Dean of the Faculty for Detectives and Criminalists at the European University of the Republic of Macedonia. Since 2010 she is General Manager of EURISK Consulting.

Besides her remarkable professional career, she founded the NGO Transparency International Macedonia in 2001 and in 2006 she became the Chair. From 2002 to 2007 she was President and member of the State Commission for Prevention of Corruption. Furthermore, she was heading the GRECO delegation for the Republic of North Macedonia (2007-2012) and has been elected in the GRECO Bureau. Amongst several studies and research papers she has published the book “Money laundering” in 2003 which second edition has been published in English language in 2007.

She has also contributed her expertise in different government’s agencies as well as in national and international organisations where she was inter alia Senior Anti-Corruption expert for the EU IPA programmes, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) state programme “World Learning” for prevention and repression of corruption in Macedonia in 2007 and manager of the UNDP Regional Project: “Western Balkans Sub-Regional Mechanism for Facilitation of Anti-Corruption Initiatives.” Moreover, she has been evaluator for numerous EU and UNDP projects and programmes to support building of the capacities for the rule of law, anti-corruption and fight against organized crime. Also she was incorporated in numerous good governance and anti-corruption and financial investigations related projects in Kosovo, Moldavia, Kirgizstan, Azerbaijan, Serbia, Ukraine, Turkey, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and other countries.

For the anti-corruption activities Professor Taseva has received several rewards amongst them “Person of the Year 2003” from Forum Magazine and “Person of the Year 2004” from New Women Magazine.

Miodrag Milosavljević – Programm Coordinator Transparency, Accountability and Public Integrity, Open Society Foundation Serbia

Mr. Miodrag Milosavljević is a Program Director of the Open Society Foundation Serbia. Between 2006 and 2019 he worked as Coordinator of the Foundation’s Anti-Corruption Program, focusing on financing of political parties, free access to information, budget transparency, public procurement and accountability of state-owned enterprises.

Individually or as a member of a research team, Miodrag has conducted several researches and analyses in the area of anti-corruption (e.g. Curbing the Politicization of Public Enterprises in Serbia, Monitoring of Financing of Political Parties, Conflict of Interest in the Western Balkans, etc.); written commentaries on legislative acts, articles; organized several international conferences (e.g. Fostering Transparency, Accountability and Public Integrity in the Western Balkans), organized and participated in workshops at the 13th and 15th International Anti-Corruption Conferences in Athens and Brasilia and participated in other relevant conferences. He was election observer in several elections in Serbia and abroad.

Previously, Miodrag worked with the Centre for Free Elections and Democracy (CeSID) on political party finance, local governance and election monitoring programs. Miodrag has graduated from the Faculty of Political Science (International Relations Department) of the University of Belgrade and specialized at the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Serbia and Montenegro.

Jovan Nicić - Director Prospector DOO Beograd

Jovan has 17 years of professional experience in the areas of Good Governance, Anti-Corruption, Rule of Law and International Human Rights Law. During this period, he was involved in various research and training projects. From 2013, Jovan has been committed to the implementation of principles of Good Governance and the development of preventive anti-corruption mechanisms in Serbia and in the region of Western Balkans. He has gained experience in these areas by working and collaborating with state and local institutions, international organizations, and regional initiatives, such as the state independent anti-corruption bodies, the Council of Europe, the Regional Anti-Corruption Initiative and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), as well as with numerous civil society organizations in the region of Western Balkans. As of August 2018, Jovan is the director of the Prospector DOO Belgrade – consulting agency which is focused on support in the development and implementation of anti-corruption policies for the public and private sector, both nationally and regionally.

Since 2014, Jovan has been one of the lecturers at the Legal Clinic on Anti-Corruption of the University of Belgrade, Faculty of Law.

Jovan holds a law degree and M.A. in Public International Law from the University of Belgrade, Faculty of Law.

Time frame and format: moderation and initial presentations 30 minutes, panel discussion 60 minutes, and Q&A 30 minutes

Language: English

Where? When?  PURPLE room, Civil Society Forum, July 4th, 10.00 – 12.00