The First Alumni Meeting under the Regional Anti-Corruption Project
2020-12-15 08:00 - 17:00 UTC
Following the restriction policies and measures over the COVID-19 situation in Southeast Europe, the First Regional Alumni Meeting organized under the Regional Anti-Corruption Project was held online. Judges, prosecutors, and asset recovery practitioners from SEE who have participated and contributed to the project discussed the establishment of the Regional Alumni Network with the aim to foster and improve regional cooperation in asset recovery cases.
Participants have underscored the importance of the establishment of the Regional Network, with a special focus on making the resources developed in the course of the project broadly available to the asset recovery practitioners in the region. They have also recognised the value of broadening the membership of this network to include not only prosecutors and judges but also the law enforcement agencies and financial investigators.
The meeting was organised within the framework of the two-year regional project “Strengthening anti-corruption in the South East Europe through improving asset seizure measures” implemented by RAI Secretariat and AIRE Centre, with the financial support of the UK Government.

Kick-off Meeting of the new joint Regional Programme “Southeast Europe - Together Against Corruption” - SEE-TAC
2021-01-27 11:00 - 12:30 UTC
Sarajevo, Vienna, January 27, 2021 – With today’s kick-off event, the Regional Anti-Corruption Initiative (RAI) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) have officially launched the new anti-corruption programme in Southeast Europe (SEE), entitled Southeast Europe – Together Against Corruption (SEE-TAC). The Regional Programme is funded by Austrian Development Cooperation (ADC), represented by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA).
The event was attended by over 80 representatives of the public anti-corruption authorities, ministries, civil society organisations and the private sector representatives from the SEE region and beyond. Thirteen speakers from the implementing organisations, the donor and beneficiary institutions have reflected on the importance of the new Regional Programme which aims to strengthen the resilience of SEE societies to corruption.
This programme will focus on Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia, with participation of Romania, Bulgaria and Croatia. The three-year programme will operate with a total budget of 1,400,000 euros.
Michaela Flenner, Programme Manager of the Austrian Development Agency for the SEE Region said “ADA is happy to see that the idea of programmatic partnership between the RAI and the UNODC continues through the SEE-TAC Programme”.
Under the auspices of the SEE-TAC Programme, 25 public institutions, 40 business representatives and 175 civil society representatives, with the UNCAC Coalition and the WB6 Chamber Investment Forum as special partners, will be working together on the implementation of a wide range of activities.
Virginia de Abajo Marques, UNODC Anti-corruption Advisor underlined the essence of the SEE-TAC revolving around the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), the only legally binding universal anti-corruption instrument, and in particular its articles 12 and 13, which recognise the role of the private sector and civil society in combating corruption.
SEE-TAC, as a comprehensive cross-sectoral action which brings together practitioners and activists from the SEE in strengthening their capacity to fight and prevent corruption, was presented by Aneta Arnaudovska, RAI’ Senior Anti-corruption Advisor, Dejana Grbic-Velagic, RAI’s Chief Programme and Communications Officer and Viktorija Nesterovaite, UNODC Programme Officer.
The Programme pairs the operationalisation of the International Treaty on Exchange of Data for the Verification of Asset Declarations in and beyond the region with development of institutional capacities of the public bodies for implementation of the corruption-prevention mechanisms, with the focus on the most corruption-prone sectors.
The SEE-TAC Programme will follow an innovative framework to support beneficiaries in preventing corruption. More specifically, to achieve an effective implementation of UNCAC in SEE, the SEE-TAC programme will first build capacities of non-state actors alongside their governments on the Convention and, then, will support its implementation at grassroot, national and regional levels, as well as bring the voices from the region to the international UNCAC fora.
Furthermore, the innovative regional approach is reflected in reaching an agreement on the International Treaty on Exchange of Data for the Verification of Asset Declarations, during the preceding programme, also funded by ADA, and strongly supported by the Austrian Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs.
In relation to this Treaty, Biljana Ivanovska, President of the SCPC North Macedonia said: “We show our deepest support to the new SEE-TAC Programme, and we are especially looking forward to signing of the International Treaty on Exchange of Data for Verification of Asset Declarations. In addition, underlining SCPS’s commitment to sign the Treaty, Ms. Ivanovska encouraged other jurisdictions in the SEE, in addition to Montenegro and Serbia, to accede to the Treaty and to join North Macedonia in a united regional cooperation in achieving concrete results in the anti-corruption efforts.
Vladan Joksimovic, Head of the RAI Secretariat informed the participants from across the region that the signing of the International Treaty could take place in the second half of March in Belgrade, should the epidemiological circumstances permit for organisation of this important regional event.
The joint approach embodied in the SEE-TAC Programme will also be exercised through joint advocacy and awareness-raising initiatives spearheaded by CSOs in cooperation with the public and the private sector and numerous capacity-building occasions on UNCAC, its review mechanism, corruption-prevention mechanisms and other anti-corruption topics.
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* This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.

Ms. Mirella Dummar-Frahi, Chief, Civil Society Unit, UNODC

Mr. Vladan Joksimovic, Head of RAI Secretariat

Ms. Ardita Seknaj, Secretary General, International Chamber of Commerce, Albania

Ms. Slagjana Taseva, Chair, Transparency International, North Macedonia

Ms. Biljana Ivanovska, President of the State Commission for the Prevention of Corruption, North Macedonia

Ms. Milica Popovic, Head of Section for Integrity Plans, Lobbying and Corruption Proofing Regulations – Agency for Prevention of Corruption, Montenegro

Mr. Vladica Babic, Assistant Director of the Agency for the Prevention and Coordination of the Fight against Corruption, BiH

Ms. Aneta Arnaudovska, Senior Anti-Corruption Advisor and Ms. Dejana Grbic-Velagic, Chief Programme and Communications Officer, RAI Secretariat

Webinar on Effective asset recovery: legal standards, challenges and good practices
2021-02-09 10:00 - 14:00 UTC
The webinar was organised within the Regional Project “Strengthening anti-corruption in the South East Europe through improving asset seizure measures” implemented by the AIRE Centre and the RAI Secretariat, funded by the Government of the United Kingdom. Judges, prosecutors, and asset recovery practitioners from Asset Recovery Offices and Asset Management Agencies from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo*, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania and Serbia took part in the webinar.
The webinar was designed to further build expertise amongst prosecutors, judges and asset recovery practitioners and to facilitate the exchange of good practices. Distinguished speakers from the Western Balkans region and the UK presented and discussed with the participants the international and European legal standards and the European Court of Human Rights case-law in the field of asset recovery. Legal challenges to jurisprudence were also discussed and illustrated with case studies from the region.
In the opening remarks, Mr. Vladan Joksimovic, Head of RAI Secretariat, reflected on the excellent cooperation with the AIRE Centre, and the joint 2-year Regional Project on asset recovery. The Project was designed on the basis of comprehensive review and analysis of search, seizure and confiscation of illegally obtained assets conducted by the AIRE Centre and RAI Secretariat.
Ms. Biljana Braithwaite, Director of the Western Balkans Programme at the AIRE Centre opened the webinar recalling the importance of regional cooperation in the matters of asset recovery, as corruption and organized crime affect every society. She added that the recent data of EUROPOL shows that illicit proceeds of crime in Europe alone amount close to 1 billion euros. Only 1% or 2% of these end up being seized on an annual basis. She emphasizes asset recovery as a crucial weapon to all jurisdictions that struggle with seizing a meaningful amount of assets.
Project aimed to improve asset seizure measures in SEE with opportunity to judges and prosecutors to strengthen their knowledge in the area of international practices and practices and to trade their knowledge and build regional networks. The webinar focused on regional and European legal standards and good practices.
His Honour Judge Michael Hopmeier, HHJ at Southwark Crown Court, London, UK, gave a presentation on seizing and confiscating the assets of criminals explaining why, when and how it is done. The presentation was structured to include criminal confiscations, civil asset recovery and unexplained wealth orders, the mechanism that is relatively new in the UK, although UK asset recovery legislation is much older than the EU legislation. HHJ Hopmeier underlined the importance of cooperation in this area of law since every county is struggling with recovering assets that have been stolen a corrupted money.
He mentioned that many publications that set out the effects of a pandemic on crime and accented that criminals are using the pandemic to exploit the weaknesses in governments and added that new forms of fraud such as fake vaccines and so-called romantic crimes have emerged. He compared the American and Chinese punitive systems with European. Unlike America and China, the UK has significantly lower penalties for fraud offenses, thus fraudsters are more concerned in relation to the confiscation of property. Effective and successful asset recovery has the potential to protect the legitimate economy from corruption, to generate the assets that can be used for the public good, and to assist in upholding the rule of law.
Judge Mirjana Lazarova Trajkovska spoke about Asset Recovery Measures and Human Rights Standards from ECtHR Case-law Perspective. Case-law European law on human rights definition on confiscation as the final deprivation of property by order of the court and this definition indicates that this is a flexible concept. Confiscation is recognized as a powerful weapon in the fight against serious crime and corruption. She also mentioned some of the national instruments of asset recovery and relevant international instruments, and conventions, including the UN Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime (2000) and the UN Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) 2005.
Dr. Eldan Mujanovic, a professor at the University of Sarajevo, Faculty for Criminalistics, Criminology and Security Studies and Criminal Policy Research Center explained how in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the institute of extended confiscation of property is mentioned for the first time in 2010. The reasons for this are the simplification of procedures given the numerous difficulties in determining the link between the particular act committed and the proceeds of the act.
Some of the reasons for standardizing the extended confiscation of property stated by Professor Mujanovic are the reduction of evidence in terms of concretization of the crime, focusing on property instead of the crime, the assumption that the disputed property originates from previous criminal activity for which no fasting.
Judge Radmila Dragicevic – Dicic of the Supreme Cassation Court of the Republic of Serbia spoke about the Criminal Code, in relation to the special measures of confiscation of proceeds of crime and referred to the proceeds of the criminal offenses in a trial. She reflected on the options of the Serbian criminal code, including the option for confiscating the substitute assets related to the proceeds of crime. She concluded on a high note, reminding all participants that all available instruments should be used to perform effective extended asset recovery.

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* This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.

The Regional Multi-Beneficiary Training on Whistleblower Protection
2021-02-09 10:00 - 2021-02-11 16:00 UTC
The EU Whistleblowing Directive[1] was passed in December 2019 to provide and promote a safe and secure way for persons to speak up about wrongdoings in their work environment. It also provides a high level of protection to whistleblowers against retaliation, and requires national authorities to adequately inform citizens and train public officials on how to deal with whistleblowing.
Following the Gap Analysis of Whistleblower Protection Laws in SEE jurisdictions, which assesses the level of compliance of these laws with the EU Whistleblowing Directive, the RAI Secretariat delivered a two-day Annual Regional Multi-Beneficiary Training on Whistleblower Protection on February 9 and 11, 2021.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, this training was delivered on-line, through two webinars: 1. ‘Building Effective Whistleblower Protections for the Benefit of Citizens in line with the EU Whistleblowing Directive’ and 2. ‘Experiences of Public Institutions and Civil Society in Handling Whistleblower Reports: How to Enhance Mutual Cooperation and Coordination?’ taking place one day apart to provide participants (e.g. professionals from anti-corruption agencies and other oversight bodies) to attend both webinars with time for retrospection.
The training took place in a mixed environment of more than 50 participants representing ministries of justice, anti-corruption agencies or other whistleblowing enforcement bodies, representatives of EU delegations, and 22 representatives of 15 CSOs involved in whistleblowing support and advocacy from 10 SEE jurisdictions, including Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo*, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, and Serbia.
The comprehensive agenda of the training covered, among other topics, the purpose and overview of key requirements of the EU Whistleblowing Directive; the practices of the European Court of Human Rights on key concepts of the EU Whistleblowing Directive; free speech in the workplace; best approaches in protecting whistleblowers in practice; how good whistleblowing programs lead to successful protection of whistleblowers; the opportunities for collaboration between CSOs and public institutions in whistleblowing protection; the lifecycle of a whistleblower case, from disclosure and support to investigation and protection/corrective actions and other issues as a result of reflections and discussions on experiences of public institutions and civil society.
The training was delivered by international and regional experts on whistleblowing, Mr. Tom Devine, Mr. Mark Worth, Mr. Stephan Kohn, Mr. Mevludin Dzindo, Mr. Boris Vukasinovic, and Ms. Vanja Calovic Markovic, the RAI Secretariat project manager – anti-corruption expert, Ms. Elmerina Ahmetaj Hrelja, and senior anti-corruption advisor Ms. Aneta Arnaudovska, combined with group discussions and recommendations.
The Head of the RAI Secretariat, Mr. Vladan Joksimovic, who provided the opening remarks, stressed the assistance of the RAI Secretariat in the improvements to whistleblowing legislative framework in SEE in line with the EU Whistleblowing Directive. „Today’s training will among other things be an opportunity to hear about key findings and recommendations of the RAI assessment of the compliance of whistleblower protection laws in SEE with the EU Whistleblowing Directive (Gap Analysis), and more importantly to discuss and exchange best practices in whistleblower protection in the region and broadly (EU, USA) “.
Ms. Kay Binder, Policy Officer from the European Commission, Directorate-General for Neighborhood and Enlargement Negations, in her remarks, thanked RAI Secretariat for its continuing efforts to enhance whistleblower protection systems in SEE pointed out that good and functional laws and institutional arrangements, coupled with leadership commitment and public education are key to building effective whistleblower protection systems. Ms. Binder underlined the commitment of EU to support the building of such systems in line with the EU Whistleblowing Directive.
Ms. Elmerina Ahmetaj Hrelja, Project Manager and Anti-corruption Expert, who moderated the event, presented on the purpose, key requirements of the EU Whistleblowing Directive, and the importance of the transposition of the EU Whistleblowing Directive in SEE laws.
Ms. Aneta Arnaudovska, Senior Anticorruption Adviser of RAI Secretariat, presented the practice of the European Court of Human Rights on key concepts of the EU Whistleblowing Directive with a focus on reasonable belief and reversed burden of proof.
Mr. Mark Worth, Whistleblowing Expert of RAI Secretariat, who spoke about RAI Gap Analysis in SEE laws, conveyed a clear message to the participants to be open when it comes to the implementation of laws. „We have laws, we have staff, we have international experts, let’s minimize the number of factors which are frequently slowing down a reform of good governance and creation of fair society”.
Mr. Stephan Kohn from Nation Whistleblower Center, who spoke about the key sources for detecting fraud and corruption, said that „Without a strong whistleblower program corruption cannot be effectively detected or prosecuted.”
Mr. Mevludin Džindo, Assistant Director of the Agency for Prevention of Corruption and Coordination of the Fight against Corruption in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Mr. Boris Vukasinovic, Agency for the Prevention of Corruption in Montenegro, who spoke about the lifecycle of a whistleblower case handled by public institutions, addressed practical experiences in disclosure and support to investigation and protection of a whistleblower.
On a lifecycle of a whistleblower case handled by a CSO, remarks were provided by Ms. Vanja Calovic Markovic from MANS in Montenegro, who spoke about alternative reporting channels made available to a whistleblower by NGOs, and stressed the importance of the confidentiality of the identity of a whistleblower and of collecting and providing evidence investigative/prosecuting bodies.
These presentations were accompanied by tour-de-table discussions of representatives of public institutions and civil society organizations on their experiences in improving whistleblower protection, the challenges they encountered and opportunities for improvements, and in strengthening channels of communication among representatives from governmental and non-governmental sectors in handling whistleblowing reports.
Concluding remarks included a call to turn the laws into a reality and use them to make a difference in the fight against corruption, for which the following is required: the commitment of the organizational leadership, strengthened capacity to implement the law through training, public education, and transparency in how the law is implemented.
The training was conducted under the framework of the regional project ‘Breaking the Silence: Enhancing the whistleblowing policies and culture in Western Balkans and Moldova’, which is funded by the European Union and implemented by the RAI Secretariat.
For further information about the training content and the participants, please follow this link.

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[1] Directive (EU) 2019/1937 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2019 on the protection of persons who report breaches of Union law, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2019/1937/oj
* This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSC 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo Declaration on Independence

Final Conference of the Regional Project “Strengthening anti-corruption in the South East Europe through improving asset seizure measures”
2021-03-09
Following two years of implementing the Regional Project “Strengthening anti-corruption in Southeast Europe through improving asset seizure measures”, funded by the Government of the United Kingdom, and supported by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, the implementing partners AIRE Centre and the RAI Secretariat organized the Concluding Conference of the Project.
The conference took place on 9 March 2021, with more than 150 participants from the region joining this hybrid event. Participants have participated joined the event from six regional hubs in Belgrade, Podgorica, Pristina, Sarajevo, Skopje and Tirana, as well as from Bulgaria, Croatia, Moldova and Romania via the online conference platform.
The conference featured a presentation of an international perspective on asset recovery, with contributions by representatives of key European institutions and bodies, as well as a discussion on the future of asset recovery cooperation in Southeast Europe. The project’s final report was also presented on this occasion and guidelines for building the AIRE Centre and RAI’s work on asset recovery in the future. Speakers at the conference included Tim Eicke, the judge in respect of the UK on the European Court of Human Rights, Hanne Juncher, the Executive Secretary of the Group of States against Corruption, and Burkhard Muhl, Head of the European Financial and Economic Crime Centre at EUROPOL.
Event Agenda
Final Project Report (available in English, Albanian, BCMS, Macedonian)

Panel Discussion: An International Perspective on Asset Recovery

Guided Discussion for Regional Participants

Panel Discussion: The Future of Asset Recovery in Southeast Europe

Presentation of Regional Conclusions

Opening Session

Mr. Vladan Joksimovic

Ms. Biljana Braitwaithe

Ms. Desislava Gotskova

Signing Ceremony of the International Treaty on Exchange of Data for the Verification of Asset Declarations
2021-03-19
The signing Ceremony of the International Treaty on Exchange of Data for the Verification of Asset Declaration, took place at the Serbia Palace (Palata Srbija) in Belgrade, Serbia on March 19th, 2021. The signing ceremony was attended by the appointed representatives of the ministries of justice and anti-corruption agencies of Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia.
Concerned and aware about the threats posed by corruption to the stability of the democratic institutions and the values of democracy, justice and good governance, the signatories have recognized the importance of international cooperation in their efforts to curb corruption.
The purpose of the International Treaty on Exchange of Data for the Verification of Asset Declaration is to prevent corruption by providing for a direct administrative exchange of information concerning asset declarations between the Parties to the Treaty.

The Treaty has been developed and negotiated under the Southeast Europe Regional Programme on Strengthening the Capacity of Anti-corruption Authorities and Civil Society to Combat Corruption and Contribute to the UNCAC Review Process, implemented by the Regional Anti-Corruption Initiative (RAI) in partnership with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), and with financial support by the Austrian Development Cooperation (ADC). The Treaty signing ceremony was delayed due to the public health crisis over COVID-19, for a year, but the signatories of the Treaty, RAI and the ADC remain committed to the cause. Implementation of the Treaty and opportunities for accession of additional parties to it will be facilitated through the Regional Programme Southeast Europe against Corruption – SEE-TAC.
The International Treaty is the first of its kind in the world, and is considered to be a key element of the anti-corruption fight in the region.
For further information on the International Treaty on Exchange of Data for the Verification of Asset Declarations, please follow this link.
For more information on the signing ceremony, please follow this link.

Regional Workshop on “Strengthening Integrity in the Security Sector”
2021-05-05 - 2021-05-06
RACVIAC – Centre for Security Cooperation in cooperation with the Regional Anti-corruption Initiative (RAI) organised the Regional Workshop on “Strengthening Integrity in the Security Sector”, which took place on 05 – 06 May 2021 via the online platform.
The general objective of the Workshop was to incorporate the anti-corruption approaches in the Security sector and to increase the capacity of the relevant entities for developing effective corruption preventive and integrity mechanisms. Furthermore, the relevant international standards and useful tools for prevention and suppression of corruption were presented alongside the best practices and lessons learned in the field of building integrity, whistle-blowing policies, and future challenges.
Read more about the workshop here.

Beginning of "The whistle for the end!" campaign - Sarajevo
2021-05-19 | Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
The citizens of Sarajevo saved 1,249,600 KM in RAI’s “Whistle for the End” Guerrilla Event
As part of the street performance, citizens of Sarajevo pressed the “Whistle for the End” button and thus symbolically saved 1,249,600 KM from the destruction that was happening in front of them, in a transparent box. A lively description of the people interact with the guerilla installation is available at RAI’s FB page: https://www.facebook.com/raiseeorg.
‘Whistle for the End’ is the first major part of the Public Awareness Campaign organized under the auspices of the regional project ‘Breaking the Silence: Enhancing the whistleblowing policies and culture in Western Balkans and Moldova’ funded by the European Union and implemented by the Regional Anti-corruption Initiative Secretariat (RAI).
By reporting corruption, whistleblowers contribute to the prevention, detection and investigation of corruption. Without whistleblowers, there is no effective fight against corruption, and in a society where corruption prevails, citizens do not enjoy equal rights and opportunities. Whistleblowers act in the interest of all of us, as they contribute to building the rule of law and a society in which everyone enjoys equal rights and opportunities – to employment, health care, education, a healthy environment and much more.
Under the project, RAI is working to strengthen the legislative and institutional framework for the protection of whistleblowers, in line with the new EU Directive on their protection.

"Whistle for the End" Podgorica Guerrilla Event
2021-06-02 | Podgorica, Montenegro
The citizens of Podgorica whistled for the end and symbolically stopped corruption
Whistle for the end! is a part of the educational and information campaign the Regional Anti-Corruption Initiative is implementing with the financial support of the European Union, as a part of the project “Breaking the Silence: Enhancing the Whistleblowing Policies and Culture in the Western Balkans and Moldova”. Today, we are in Podgorica to raise citizens’ awareness about the damage caused by corruption and the importance of each citizen’s contribution to the fight against corruption.
The regional project “Breaking the Silence: Enhancing the Whistleblowing Policies and Culture in the Western Balkans and Moldova supported by the EU Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA) aims to help partners in the government and non-governmental sector of the beneficiary jurisdictions to improve the disclosure channels and protection mechanisms for whistleblowers; strengthen the capacity of civil society to support whistleblowing; and enhance the public awareness about the importance of whistleblowing in the fight against corruption.
In the framework of the project, the RAI Secretariat works to strengthen the legislative and institutional framework for the protection of whistleblowers, in line with the new EU Directive on whistleblower protection, to which the candidate countries are expected to be aligned as part of the EU acquis within the enlargement process.

On behalf of the Agency for the Prevention of Corruption, Director Jelena Perovic, who participated in the event, spoke about the important role of citizens in fighting against corruption. “The impressive performance we are witnessing, on one hand, symbolically shows the extent of corruption and its destructive nature, and on the other, it indicates our civic responsibility too, as part of the community, raise our voice against illegal and unethical actions that endanger the public interest.”, Perovic said.
Akvile Normantiene, Political Affairs Officer of the EU Delegation in Montenegro, noted at the event:
“The adequate legislation is the first step to ensure that whistleblowing is recognised as a matter to be entrenched in the law. Enforcement of the law is what shows in practice if this serves the purpose for which it is in place. On the other hand, it is the social and political system that determines if a person is going to blow the whistle in the first place. For this purpose, it is important not only to establish functioning mechanisms for reporting wrongdoing and ensure the protection of whistle-blowers, but also to acknowledge that whistleblowing is an effective mechanism to ensure justice.’’
“With the street performance, we wanted to draw attention to the damage that corruption causes to our society and to the significant role that each person has in the fight against corruption,” said Aneta Arnaudovska, Senior Anti-corruption Advisor of the RAI Secretariat.

"Whistle for the End" Tirana Guerrilla Event
2021-06-10 | Murat Toptani Promenade (Tirana Pedestrian Walk), Tirana
The citizens of Tirana whistled for the end and symbolically saved 19,440,800 ALL from corruption
During the 24 hours, in Tirana, 19,440,800 ALL were saved from misuse by corruption. The citizens of Tirana showed that they are aware that their money is being destroyed daily in front of them.
Throughout the day, the destruction of money was carried out symbolically through a money shredding installation in a transparent box, to show everyone the irreversible damage that corruption brings to society. By choosing to press the button and “Whistle for the End” to corruption the citizens stopped the destruction of money for a minute.
This “Whistle for the end” street performance is part of the Educational and Information Campaign that the Regional Public Awareness and Education Campaign on Whistleblowing, which Regional Anti-corruption Initiative (RAI) is implementing with the financial support of the European Union, within the project “Breaking the Silence: Enhancing the Whistleblowing Policies and Culture in the Western Balkans and Moldova”.
On this occasion, Mrs. Elmerina Ahmetaj Hrelja, RAI’s Project Manager, noted: ‘In this way, we also send a message that we are with whistleblowers – persons who make a brave and selfless decision by reporting corruption, putting themselves in the service of the public interest’.

On behalf of the Young European Ambassadors (YEAs), Fatjon Biba, a youth activist, and a law student, who participated in this event spoke about the role of youth in the fight against corruption. Here is his message: ‘Apparently, whistleblowing can be a strong weapon for youth in the fight against corruption, due to the fact that they are the vital part of society which are led by bravery. In schools, universities, or in workplaces, they may have encountered frequent cases of corruption or may at least have heard from their friends. Empowering young people to speak up without fear of retaliation can help authorities to both detect and deter violations.
This is not the only such street performance to be affected by the guerilla installation that is currently going on in the capitals of the beneficiary jurisdictions in Western Balkans and Moldova to draw the attention of citizens to the damage that corruption causes to societies. Stay tuned for more information about the amounts of money that citizens in North Macedonia, Moldova, and Serbia saved during the performance.
This regional project, which is supported by the EU Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA), aims to help partners in the government and non-governmental sector of beneficiary jurisdictions to improve the disclosure channels and protection mechanisms for whistleblowers; strengthen the capacity of civil society to support whistleblowing; and enhance the public awareness about the importance of whistleblowing in the fight against corruption, by enhancing the legislative and institutional framework for the protection of whistleblowers, in line with the new EU Directive on whistleblower protection.

"Whistle for the end" Pristina Guerrilla Event
2021-06-16 | Pristina, Pristina
The citizens of Pristina whistled for the end and symbolically saved EUR 870.000 from corruption
When you are well organized, 24 hours is enough time to travel to the other side of the planet, read a book or learn a new skill. However, 24 hours is enough time for the “destruction” of lot of money which Kosovo* loses every day from corruption. Through a 24-hour “Whistle for the End” performance in Pristina on June 16, 2021, the Regional Anti-Corruption Initiative (RAI) demonstrated to citizens how they can save money from corruption, by pressing a button, i.e., symbolically blowing the whistle.
Whistle for the end! is part of the educational and information campaign that the RAI is implementing with the financial support of the European Union, within the project “Breaking the Silence: Enhancing the Whistleblowing Policies and Culture in the Western Balkans and Moldova”.

Mr. Shaip Havolli, Director of the Anti-Corruption Agency (AKK), who participated in the event spoke about the cooperation with RAI in fighting the phenomenon of corruption. On this occasion Director Havolli noted the progress made in implementing the Law on Protection of Whistleblowers, while stating ‘I invite all officials who consider that they have noticed violations in their organization to report such violations in cooperation with responsible officials and thus increase transparency and institutional and individual accountability.
On behalf of the RAI, the media was addressed by Mrs. Elmerina Ahmetaj Hrelja, Project Manager, who noted: “We invite citizens to ‘Whistle for the End!’ by pressing the button and thus symbolically stop corruption and further destruction of their money. This gesture will show us how much money together we can save from destruction, when we do not accept to participate in corruption.’
This regional project, which is supported by the EU Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA), aims to help partners in the government and non-governmental sector of beneficiary jurisdictions to improve the disclosure channels and protection mechanisms for whistleblowers; strengthen the capacity of civil society to support whistleblowing; and enhance the public awareness about the importance of whistleblowing in the fight against corruption, by enhancing the legislative and institutional framework for the protection of whistleblowers, in line with the new EU Directive on whistleblower protection.
*This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.

"Whistle for the End" Skopje Guerrilla Event
2021-06-23 | Skopje, North Macedonia, Skopje, North Macedonia
Coinciding with the World Whistleblowers Day 2021, a 24-hour performance took place in Skopje on June 23, 2021. With the event, the Regional Anti-Corruption Initiative (RAI) called the attention of the public not only to the scale of corruption but also to the key role that citizens have in fighting corruption.
Throughout the day, by choosing to press the button and “Whistle for the End!”, the citizens of Skopje kept symbolically saving public money from ‘destruction’ in front of their eyes.
This is the fifth street performance brought to the streets and squares of the Western Balkans and Moldova’s capitals, as a part of the “Whistle for the end!” educational and information campaign.
The event was opened by the EU Deputy Head of Delegation to North Macedonia, Mr. Julian Vassallo, member of the State Commission for Prevention of Corruption, Ms. Sofka Pejovska Dojchinovska, and the Senior Anti-corruption Advisor of the RAI Secretariat, Ms. Aneta Arnaudovska.

Mr. Julian Vassallo, EU Deputy Head of Delegation noted at the event: “The right to report corruption is a tool to foster transparency and integrity. And a way of protecting the common good.
That’s why it is essential to establish mechanisms for citizens to report corruption safely and to be protected from any forms of retaliation, be it legal, economic or personal. Whistle-blowers can be truly encouraged to speak out against corruption only when they really trust the institutions that receive their complaints. Only then, citizens can fully contribute to the fight against corruption”.
On behalf of the State Commission for Prevention of Corruption, Ms. Sofka Pejovska Dojchinovska, called citizens to be brave and “whistle for the end” to corruption. “First, the strongest step in preventing corruption is to refuse to participate in it, which means to choose the right direction and not become a part of illegal situations”, Ms. Pejovska Dojchinovska said.
“With the street performance, we wanted to draw attention to the damage that corruption causes to our society and to the significant role that each person has in the fight against corruption,” said Ms. Aneta Arnaudovska, Senior Anti-corruption Advisor of the RAI Secretariat.
The regional project “Breaking the Silence: Enhancing the Whistleblowing Policies and Culture in the Western Balkans and Moldova supported by the EU Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA) aims to help partners in the government and non-governmental sector of the beneficiary jurisdictions to improve the disclosure channels and protection mechanisms for whistleblowers; strengthen the capacity of civil society to support whistleblowing; and enhance the public awareness about the importance of whistleblowing in the fight against corruption.
In the framework of the project, the RAI Secretariat works to strengthen the legislative and institutional framework for the protection of whistleblowers, in line with the new EU Directive on whistleblower protection, to which the candidate countries are expected to be aligned as part of the EU acquis within the enlargement process.

"Whistle for the End" Chișinău Guerrilla Event
2021-06-30 | Chișinău, Europe Square, Central Park, Chișinău, Moldova, Republic of
On the last day of June 2021, a 24-hour performance took place in Chișinău, Moldova. With the event, the Regional Anti-Corruption Initiative (RAI) called the attention of the public not only to the scale of corruption but also to the key role that citizens have in fighting corruption.
Throughout the day, by choosing to press the button and “Whistle for the End!”, the citizens of Chișinău kept symbolically saving public money from ‘destruction’ in front of their eyes.
This is the fifth street performance brought to the streets and squares of the Western Balkans and Moldova’s capitals, as a part of the “Whistle for the end!” educational and information campaign.
The event was opened by Ms. Laura Ștefan, Chairperson of the Regional Anti-corruption Initiative, Mr. Ion Pruteanu, Head of the Anti-corruption Education Division from the General Corruption Prevention Directorate of Republic of Moldova (NAC), as well as youth representatives – Ms. Vlada Șimon, anti-corruption volunteer of NAC and Mr. Valentin Josan, Youth European Ambassadors’ representative in Moldova.

Ms. Laura Ștefan, RAI Chairperson, said: “With this performance, we wanted to draw attention to the damage that corruption causes to society in the Republic of Moldova and to the significant role that every citizen has in the fight against corruption.” By pressing the button, the citizens “Whistled for the End” and in that way symbolically stopped corruption and further waste of their money. This gesture showed how much money together we can save from destruction when we do not accept to participate in corruption. In this way, we sent a message that we are with the whistleblowers – those citizens who, by reporting corruption, make a courageous and selfless decision, putting themselves in the service of the public interest.”
“In the last year, CNA has recognized the status of whistleblowers for 8 persons and maintains a good inter-institutional collaboration with the Office of the People’s Advocate. We are convinced that we are part of a society, that is fully aware of the harmful repercussions of corruption, we are confident in the success of the application and further promotion of the institute of the whistleblower. We urge you to become actively involved in altruism, courage, and civic spirit towards the eradication of corruption”, said Mr. Ion Pruteanu, the Head of the Anticorruption Education Department of the National Anticorruption Center.
Ms. Vlada Șimon, the anti-corruption volunteer of the National Anticorruption Center: “Citizens need to be aware that acting jointly with the state institutions against corruption and the corrupted is effective. Therefore, in order to restore confidence, we, the young people, must take measures to strengthen integrity, promote and strengthen the state’s efforts to prevent the consequences of illicit acts, including corruption, because we believe that the involvement and support of whistleblowers are essential at this time.”
Mr. Valentin Josan, the representative of the Young European Ambassadors, reiterated how essential the involvement of young people in the fight against corruption is: “It is important for us, young people, to be aware of the importance of every word spoken in defense of truth and justice. Every denunciation, even if left with no finality, has its certain impact. In such moments, what really matters is personal integrity and morality. So, let’s break the silence and whistle together for the end of corruption!”

16th Summer School for Junior Anti-corruption Practitioners from South-East Europe
2021-07-05 - 2021-07-07 | Online
RAI Secretariat proudly announces the 16th edition of the Summer School for Junior Anti-corruption Practitioners from South-East Europe. This year’s edition will take place in the period July 5-7, 2021 in an online format.
Summer School Objectives
The overarching objective of the School is to introduce anti-corruption practitioners to emerging typologies in respect of corruption, how offshore jurisdictions are used to launder the proceeds of corruption and what motivates people to engage in corruption.
The School will also seek to raise the awareness of the participants of how human sources of intelligence are utilised in corruption investigations and some of the challenges relating to the use and management of whistleblowers.
All of the presentations are delivered by practitioners for practitioners and therefore the topics are addressed at a level that does not seek to delve into academic theory but are more focused around explanation through case studies that are relevant for prosecutors and investigators.
Style of Learning
The event will be conducted online in English and the participants will be expected to have their cameras and microphones on and engage with the SMEs through a blended learning style. If technically possible, the presentations will be supported with interactive exercises but this will be determined during the event as it is dependent on numbers and the technical limitations of the participants’ IT hardware.
Target audience/Participants
The target audience of the Summer School are junior practitioners from prosecution bodies and anti-corruption bodies with investigative powers.

"Whistle for the End" Belgrade Guerrilla Event
2021-07-08 | Belgrade, Serbia
On July 8, 2021, a 24-hour performance took place in Belgrade, Serbia. With the event, the Regional Anti-Corruption Initiative (RAI) called the attention of the public not only to the scale of corruption but also to the key role that citizens have in fighting corruption.
Throughout the day, by choosing to press the button and “Whistle for the End!”, the citizens of Belgrade kept symbolically saving public money from ‘destruction’ in front of their eyes.
This is the final of seven street performances brought to the streets and squares of the Western Balkans and Moldova’s capitals, as a part of the “Whistle for the end!” educational and information campaign.
The event was opened by Ms. Dejana Grbic-Velagic, Chief Programme and Communications Officer at the Regional Anti-corruption Initiative Secretariat and Mr. Vladimir Radomirovic, National whistleblowing coordinator for Serbia on RAI’s project “Breaking the Silence: enhancing the whistleblowing policies and culture in Western Balkans and Moldova”, funded by the European Union.

Regional Meeting on Mapping Sectors Most Vulnerable to Corruption
2021-07-09 10:00 - 12:00 UTC
After organising bilateral consultations with representatives of all jurisdictions targeted by the SEE-TAC Project, the RAI Secretariat proudly announces a regional meeting on mapping sectors most vulnerable to corruption.
The objective of the meeting is to present findings from bilateral meetings, foster regional consultations and aim to achieve the regional consensus on the two sectors, where the SEE-TAC project interventions will have the highest impact.
The meeting will be held on Friday, July 9, 2021 in an online format.
Following reaching the agreement on the targeted sectors, the SEE-TAC activities will focus on modelling and implementing sectoral approach, which was identified as the appropriate method for strengthening the implementation of Corruption Risk Assessment (CRA) and Corruption Proofing of Legislation (CPL) mechanisms in the targeted jurisdictions.
This activity is a part of the regional project titled Southeast Europe – Together Against Corruption (SEE-TAC) jointly implemented by the Regional Anti-Corruption Initiative (RAI) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
To read more about SEE-TAC, please follow the LINK

36th Regional Session of the European Youth Parliament BiH - Metamorphosis
2021-07-29 08:00 - 2021-08-01 17:30 UTC | Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
During Metamorphosis, the 36th Regional Session of EYP BiH, Committee on Legal Affairs (JURI) presented a topic building on the protection of whistleblowers and reflecting the European Union Directive on the topic. Check out this video, in which the members of the JURI committee shared their thoughts and opinions about the session and the topic of whistleblowing.

Multi-Stakeholder Workshop on the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) and its Review Mechanism
2021-09-20 - 2021-09-22 | Hotel Moskva, Balkanska 1, Belgrade, 11000, Serbia
People in Southeast Europe see corruption as the biggest problem in their countries after unemployment and poverty, saying it hinders economic and social development as well as their country’s European Union accession process.
To answer the calls for strengthening the resilience of societies to corruption in Southeast Europe, UNODC and RAI have launched the joint programme “Southeast Europe – Together Against Corruption (SEE-TAC)” (2020-2023), which is funded by the Austrian Development Cooperation, represented by the Austrian Development Agency.
Under the auspices of the SEE-TAC, the in-person workshop on anti-corruption was organised in Belgrade, Serbia, September 20-22. The workshop brought together 28 civil society, private sector, government representatives from the Western Balkans and Moldova, as well as experts from the UNCAC Coalition and the Regional Anti-Corruption Initiative.
During the workshop, participants were given the opportunity to discuss how Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) can be better involved in the implementation of the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), the only legally binding universal anti-corruption instrument that promotes the active participation of civil society in the prevention and fight against corruption.
Experts also presented ways for CSOs to actively participate in the UNCAC Implementation Review Mechanism (IRM), which assists States parties to effectively implement the Convention. The workshop also included presentations on corruption-prevention mechanisms and their application in practice, including the presentation of the new regional cooperation instrument – the International Treaty on Exchange of Data for the Verification of Asset Declarations.
Another exceptional characteristic of this workshop is the fact it brings together representatives of the public, civil and private sectors together, providing them with a unique opportunity to establish connections and recognize potential areas of joint action. The means and support for establishing cross-sectoral partnerships in implementing the anti-corruption awareness raining initiatives are also available under the SEE-TAC programme through an active call for applications.
Non-governmental actors can be involved in the UNCAC review process if invited by their government. Workshops such as this one are instrumental in encouraging this participation by building knowledge on UNCAC and creating a platform where participants can engage in a constructive dialogue on its implementation in their respective jurisdictions, share good practices and lessons learned. Through this workshop, the participants had the opportunity to build capacity for reproducing workshop sessions at the national/regional levels and acquired additional expertise in UNCAC provisions required to undergo and perform reviews as well as to address the observations emanating from the reviews.
Katarina Nikolic from the Ministry of Justice Serbia was pleased that the workshop is held in Belgrade for the second time. She highlighted the need for cooperation and raising public awareness that builds a culture where laws are upheld. ‘We stand strong against corruption and together we can defeat it’ – stressed Nikolic.
Françoise Jacob, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Serbia, emphasized that when anti-corruption measures are implemented and monitored, when these processes involve different stakeholders, and they turn into preventive action, we make progress as a society. ‘I found such workshops as of the most powerful tools to exchange information and come to compromises’ – stressed Jacob.
His excellency Ambassador of Austria to Serbia, Nikolaus Lutterotti addressed the audience: ‘we are fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, but corruption is another pandemic’ – noting the ongoing corrosive effects of corruption to societies. He further added – ‘we need to ensure that corruption does not go unpunished. But we also know Prevention is better than cure. Training and education are fundamental parts of prevention that’s why the Austrian government, in particular, supports such trainings.’
Desislava Gotskova, Head of RAI Secretariat underlined the importance of regional and cross-sectoral cooperation and joining efforts in implementing anti-corruption activities in the region by saying ‘We find that inclusive implementation brings stronger and more sustained impact for the Southeast European region.’ She also expressed the conviction that regional efforts and activities have an added value in strengthening the national anti-corruption efforts, policies, and strategies, enhancing information exchange, and dissemination of good practices among the peers.
Mirella Dummar-Frahi, Chief of UNODC Civil Society Unit recalled the fact this was the fourth multi-stakeholder event on UNCAC in the SEE region, taking place after a three-year break. ‘This Multi-stakeholder Workshop aims at increasing participants’ understanding on the UN Convention against Corruption and how to effectively contribute to its review process, while also building confidence between the government and civil society to work together in the review.’

35th RAI Steering Group Meeting
2021-10-22 | Online

36th RAI Steering Group Meeting
2021-11-02 - 2021-11-03 | Zagreb, Croatia (Local Name: Hrvatska)

Regional Conference on Effective Recovery of the Proceeds of Crime
2021-11-05 09:00 - 17:00 UTC | Skopje, North Macedonia, Skopje, North Macedonia
AIRE Centre Western Balkans in cooperation with the Regional Anti-Corruption Initiative (RAI) organized Regional Conference on Effective Asset Recovery in Compliance with European Standards in hybrid format. Regional Conference was supported by the Ministry of Justice of North Macedonia and the UK Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (UKCSSF)
The conference is organised within the project “Combating corruption and organised crime in the Western Balkans through strengthening regional cooperation in asset recovery” implemented by AIRE Centre in cooperation with RAI Secretariat, funded by the UK Government.
The keynote speech was delivered by Judge Robert Spano, President of the European Court of Human Rights. and the presentations were also given by judges, prosecutors & representatives of the law schools from Western Balkans.
Ms. Biljana Braithwaite, Director of AIRE Western Balkans Centre in her opening remarks said that asset recovery strengthens public trust in institutions and is an essential aspect of efforts to uphold the rule of law in the region.
The UK Ambassador to the Republic of North Macedonia, Ms. Rachel Galloway expressed her hopes that this conference will result in more practical cooperation at national and international levels between law enforcement agencies to track money laundering and recover stolen assets.
Ms. Desislava Gotskova, Head of RAI Secretariat emphasized commitment of AIRE and RAI, with the support of the UK Government, to work with prominent international experts, judges, prosecutors, and asset recovery practitioners in the SEE to exchange good practice and experience, and to expand their knowledge.
Judge Robert Spano reiterated that corruption threatens the rule of law, democracy and human rights and endangers the stability of democratic institutions and the moral foundations of society.
Over 150 participants in Skopje and online had the opportunity to get better acquainted with the international and regional perspective on asset recovery, through two conference panels focusing on the issues of confiscation of the proceeds of corruption and means of effective fight against illicit finances.

Second Annual Regional Multistakeholder Training on Whistleblower Protection
2021-11-16 08:00 - 2021-11-19 17:00 UTC | Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Peer-to-Peer Regional Meeting of Public Institutions for better whistleblower protection, the Second Annual Regional Multi-Beneficiary Training on Whistleblower Protection, and the Annual Meeting of the Southeast Europe Coalition on Whistleblower Protection were held in Sarajevo under the auspices of the regional project ‘Breaking the Silence: Enhancing the whistleblowing policies and culture in Western Balkans and Moldova’, implemented by the RAI Secretariat and financed by the European Union. The four-day event gathered representatives of relevant public institutions and NGOs from the Southeast Europe region. More information about the project can be found at the following LINK.

Anti-corruption Forum
2021-12-06 09:30 - 2021-12-09 18:30 UTC | Tirana, Albania
Regional Anti-corruption Initiative (RAI) Secretariat in partnership with the European Youth Parliament (EYP) in Albania organized and supported the Anti-Corruption Forum that gathered close to 50 youth participants, including EYP Delegates from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia.
This three-day event was organized in Tirana from December 6-9, 2021, as part of the official program of the Week of Integrity in Albania, that stands as a national awareness-raising campaign where collective action is anticipated as a leverage to draw attention on the importance of integrity and to promote ethical behavior not only in business, but also in the governmental bodies, academia and NGOs.
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Southeast Europe together against corruption - Special event at UNCAC COSP9
2021-12-16 12:30 - 13:30 (Europe/Helsinki) | Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt
Regional Anti-corruption Initiative (RAI), in partnership with the UNODC Civil Society Unit (CSU) organized a Special Event during the Ninth session of the Conference of the States Parties (CoSP) to the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), on December 16 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.
The special event ‘Southeast Europe TOGETHER Against Corruption’ once again emphasized the importance of working together in the fight against corruption. The hybrid event was organized under the auspice of the regional Programme “Southeast Europe – Together Against Corruption (SEE-TAC)” implemented by RAI and the UNODC CSU with the support of the Austrian Development Cooperation.
This special event was a platform for different stakeholders from across the SEE region to engage in meaningful conversation about the best recipes for cooperation and partnerships. The added value of the multi-stakeholder workshops on the UN Convention against Corruption was discussed as well as the exchange of data in asset disclosure and conflict of interest, and other relevant endeavors in the region, which could be replicated and extended to the other parts of the word. Moreover, the panelists presented their successes but also lessons learnt in partnering with peers and other stakeholders in order to achieve common goals.
Moderating the session Desislava Gotskova, Head of RAI Secretariat underlined that it is essential to unite under the idea of ‘togetherness’ when working on anti-corruption initiatives in Southeast Europe.
Momcilo Radulovic, President of the Council of the Agency for Prevention of Corruption Montenegro acknowledged that multi-stakeholder cooperation is essential to counter corruption. “It’s important to have civil society and media next to us and we have listened to NGO advice and implemented their ideas and proposals in our everyday work”, – he said.
Mirella Dummar Frahi, UNODC Chief Civil society unit highlighted the work of her Unit aiming to bring together governments, civil society and the private sector to advance the implementation of the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC). This with the twofold aim of increasing knowledge and building trust among stakeholders. She also referred to the UNODC Regional Programme for South Eastern Europe, which provides the framework for UNODC initiatives throughout the region.
Representative of civil society – Snezana Kamilovska Trpovska, Programme Officer, Macedonian Centre for International Cooperation, stressed that the fight against corruption as it is not only for the governments but also for citizens. “At the same time, the CSOs should be perceived as one of the main partners” – emphasized Kamilovska Trpovska.
The perspective from private sector was presented by Jovan Nicic, Anti-corruption expert and Director of Prospector d.o.o., who told about their work on the ground level and mentioned the need to take collective action in countering corruption.
Laura Stefan, RAI Chairperson concluded saying that we can only succeed if we mainstream anti-corruption to the public.
Following the discussion with panelists, the audience members also took opportunity to contribute to the dialogue and share their perspectives. It was concluded that collaboration, partnering and cross border cooperation seems to be the best way forward for the region.
Regardless of the field of expertise, sector or country, all stakeholders should work towards a common goal: curbing corruption while partnering with peers. This approach will remain at the core of the ‘Southeast Europe TOGETHER Against Corruption’ programme, running until November 2023.

2nd Regional Coordination Meeting on Asset Recovery
2022-01-21 10:00 - 13:00 UTC
The second Regional Coordination Meeting of Technical Assistance Providers in the field of Asset Recovery took place on Friday, January 21, 2022. The meeting is a part of the regional coordination initiative undertaken under the framework of the Regional Project: Combating Corruption in the Western Balkans: Strengthening regional cooperation in the field of asset recovery implemented by the AIRE Centre and the Regional Anti-Corruption Initiative, with the support of the United Kingdom Government.
More than 30 technical assistance providers in the field of asset recovery operating in the Western Balkans jurisdictions, as well as representatives of the European Commission – Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiation, recognized the importance of good coordination between donor community, beneficiaries, and implementing partners in ensuring the effectiveness of the programs and projects implemented in the region.
Read more here

Training: Standards and Practice in Asset Recovery
2022-02-07 10:00 - 13:00 UTC
Under the framework of the Regional Project: Combating Corruption in the Western Balkans: Strengthening regional cooperation in the field of asset recovery, AIRE Centre and the Regional Anti-Corruption Initiative organised the training on Standards and Practice in Asset Recovery, with the support of the United Kingdom Government.
Training gathered more than 100 judges, prosecutors, judicial associates and judicial academies’ trainees from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia in an online format on February 7, 2022. The objective of the training was to provide participants with essential knowledge on the importance of asset recovery, an overview of relevant jurisprudence, principles of identification and permanent seizure of proceeds of crime, as well as international and domestic standards for the extended asset confiscation.
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Regional Meeting on achieving accurate, comprehensive and standard recording of asset recovery statistics
2022-03-01 09:30 - 17:00 UTC | Pristina, Pristina
The regional meeting on achieving accurate, comprehensive, and standard recording of asset recovery statistics took place in Pristina, on 1 March 2022. The meeting gathered more than 20 experts from the Western Balkans jurisdictions, embodying the start of the effective assessment of asset recovery processes in the Western Balkans, and a step towards sharing experiences and ensuring continuity of accurate data collection and establishing a common system across the region.
At the meeting, the importance of the transparency and completeness of statistics on asset recovery was reiterated, as it they are key in enabling data exchange in the region and proper visibility of the results in this field. The statistics, while highly technical, allow for the establishment of the framework for assessing effectiveness of the fight against organized crime and corruption. Only the accuracy and transparency of the collected data can ensure public confidence and create a framework for securing social benefits resulting from the confiscation of illegally acquired assets.
This meeting was organised under the project “Combating corruption and organized crime in the Western Balkans through strengthening regional cooperation in asset recovery” implemented by the Advice on Individual Rights in Europe (AIRE Centre) in cooperation with the Regional Anti-Corruption Initiative (RAI) Secretariat, with funding from the United Kingdom government.
The Project started in September 2021 and is based on an extensive needs assessment, consultations with key stakeholders, and the findings available in a series of publications including the AIRE-RAI Report on Effective Implementation of Asset Recovery Measures in the Western Balkans: an overview of a regional monitoring methodology, key benchmarks and case studies of good practice. This report concludes that the only way of ensuring that relevant statistics are accurately collected is to employ one common system across all the agencies involved in sequestration and confiscation.

Training “Effective Asset Recovery: Judicial Perspective”, Tirana, Albania
2022-03-15 08:00 - 16:00 UTC | Tirana, Albania
On March 15, 2022, AIRE Centre and the RAI Secretariat organised the training on “Effective Asset Recovery: Judicial Perspective”. The training brought together twenty judges and prosecutors from Albania, offering them an engaging learning format with the leading regional and UK experts, as trainers.
Ledina Mandija, Lawyer and Lecturer at Tirana University Law Faculty and Epoka University, opened the training by emphasizing the necessity of regional approach and highlighting the importance of the regional network of asset recovery professionals for enabling the comparative analysis, providing experts with relevant resources and ensuring adequate cooperation in the region.
Director of the Magistrate School of the Republic of Albania Arben Rakipi in his opening speech shared information on the implementation of Anti-Mafia Law, Law on Money Laundering and case law examples from Albania.
Professor of the University of Sarajevo, Faculty for Criminalistics, Criminology and Security Studies, Eldan Mujanovic spoke about the international standards and extended confiscation in the regional practice including the good practice examples.
HH Judge Michael Hopmeier from the Southwark Crown Court in London, United Kingdom spoke of the practical challenges and issues that arise in court proceedings related to the money laundering charges.
Mirjana Lazarova Trajkovska, Judge of the Supreme Court of the Republic of North Macedonia shared important points on human rights standards and asset recovery measures from ECtHR case-law perspective. She also outlined the importance of the role of the knowledgeable judges and the professional example they set for their colleagues.
This training is organised under the framework of the three-year regional project “Combating corruption and organised crime in the Western Balkans through strengthening regional cooperation in asset recovery” which started in September 2021. The project, funded by the UK Government, is covering the following jurisdictions: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia. The participation of Bulgaria, Croatia, Moldova and Romania is ensured through RAI.

* This designation is without prejudice to the positions on status and is in line with UNSC 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence

The Annual Alumni Conference of the Southeast Europe Regional Asset Recovery Alumni Network
2022-03-16 08:00 - 16:00 UTC | Tirana, Albania
Today, Tirana was the central point for regional experts’ cooperation in the asset recovery activities, with the Alumni Asset Recovery Practitioners’ Conference gathering over 70 professionals from the Southeast Europe region, as well as the UK experts. The Conference is a part of the project “Combating corruption and organised crime in the Western Balkans through strengthening regional cooperation in asset recovery” implemented by the Advice on Individual Rights in Europe (AIRE Centre) in cooperation with the Regional Anti-Corruption Initiative (RAI) Secretariat, funded by the UK Government.
“Today, we gathered judges, prosecutors and experts from the Western Balkans, as well as their colleagues from other jurisdictions, to discuss regional cooperation in confiscation of the proceeds of crime and tools for its effective implementation. Confiscating the proceeds of crime helps eliminate the greatest incentive for criminal conduct: profit. Facilitating asset recovery in the region is crucial for the long-term, global fight against corruption and organized crime. Further, asset recovery strengthens public trust in institutions and is an essential aspect of efforts to uphold the rule of law in the region”, shared Biljana Braithwaite, Program Director of the AIRE Center for the Western Balkans.
The United Kingdom reaffirmed its strong support for asset recovery activities, with a strong emphasis on regional cooperation. “Asset recovery is a crucial tool in the fight against organised crime and corruption, enabling better security and economic prosperity for citizens. Through the UK-funded regional project delivered by the AIRE Centre, in partnership with the RAI Secretariat, the UK supports strengthened regional and international cooperation to share best practice, track money laundering and recover stolen assets”, added Jason Ivory, Chargé d’Affaires at the British Embassy in Tirana.
Desislava Gotskova, Head of the RAI Secretariat, underlined the importance of confiscation and asset recovery in the fight against organized crime. “The importance of regional cooperation is essential for the effective fight against corruption. Responding to its member states’ priorities, RAI has been active in the field of asset recovery for a number of years, supporting its members’ endeavors to strengthen their capacities for effective confiscation of proceeds of crime. This conference is a vivid example of fostering regional cooperation among the asset recovery practitioners from Southeast Europe together, as the best way forward”, concluded Gotskova.

Budva: Practical Training “Asset Recovery in Legislation and Practice”
2022-03-18 08:00 - 2022-03-19 16:00 UTC | Budva, Budva, Montenegro
The Advice on Individual Rights in Europe (AIRE Centre) and the Regional Anti-Corruption Initiative (RAI) Secretariat organised the Multidisciplinary Training on Confiscation of Assets acquired from Criminal Activity in Budva, Montenegro om March 18 and 19, 2022.
The Training brought together judges and prosecutors from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia, who engaged in a practical learning format with the leading regional asset recovery experts.
Judge of the Supreme Cassation Court of the Republic of Serbia, Radmila Dragicevic Dicic contextualized legal provisions for confiscation of proceeds of crime in cases from Serbian and regional judicial practice. Professor Eldan Mujanovic from the University of Sarajevo Faculty of Criminalistics, Criminology, and Security Studies introduced participants to the international standards for extended confiscation of assets. Milos Soskic, Prosecutor of the Special Prosecutors’ Office of Montenegro focused on identification and confiscation of proceeds of crime from the perspective of financial investigation and cooperation.
During the training, judges and prosecutors have analysed the practical case and have presented their approach on the investigation and the proceeding, in respect to their national legislation. Cases were analysed and presented both from judicial and prosecutorial perspective.

This Training is organised under the framework of the three-year regional project “Combating corruption and organised crime in the Western Balkans through strengthening regional cooperation in asset recovery” which started in September 2021. The project, funded by the UK Government, is covering the following jurisdictions: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia. The participation of Bulgaria, Croatia, Moldova and Romania is ensured through RAI.

* This designation is without prejudice to the positions on status and is in line with UNSC 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence
