SARAJEVO/BUCHAREST – A two-day regional South East European anti-corruption conference will open in Bucharest tomorrow, 20 May.

The event is to present and debate a study on integrity and resistance to corruption of the judicial systems in nine South East European (SEE) countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, the Republic of Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, and Serbia).

It is organized by the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), the Regional Anticorruption Initiative (RAI), and the Transparency International (TI) Romania, in cooperation with the Romanian Chamber of Deputies and the Ministry of Justice, as well as the Ministry of Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The conference will also mark the 10th anniversary of RAI.

The integrity study aims at identifying the perception of judges, prosecutors, and police officers dealing with high level corruption, in order to assess the independence and efficacy of the criminal judicial system by highlighting the causes and methods of obstruction in the pre-trial and criminal trial phases of high level corruption cases. The final goal is adoption of legislative and institutional measures aligning national anti-corruption mechanisms to European and international standards and good practice guidelines in South East Europe.

The speakers will include President of the Chamber of Deputies of Romania, Roberta Anastase; Romanian Minister of Justice, Catalin Predoiu; Minister of Justice of the Republic of Moldova, Alexandru Tanase;  Secretary General of Bosnia and Herzegovina Ministry of Security, Bakir Dautbašić; President of the Superior Council of Magistracy of Romania, Florica Bejinaru; Executive Director of TI Romania, Victor Alistar; Senior RCC Expert on Justice and Home Affairs, Virgil Ivan-Cucu; RAI Chairperson, Vesna Ratkovic; and Erhard Busek, President of the EU-Russia Centre and Former Special Coordinator of Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe, as the opening session moderator.

The participants will come from the ranks of heads of the anticorruption structures in the ministries of justice and interior, public prosecutors’ offices and magistrates’ councils of SEE countries, regional organizations active in the field of justice and home affairs, representatives of the EU, the Chairmanship-in-Office of the South-East European Cooperation Process, the Council of Europe, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, professional associations and international experts.

Journalists are invited to attend the two-day event, which opens at 9.30 a.m. on 20 May 2010, at the Human Rights Hall of the Palace of the Parliament, S2 entrance, Izvor Street, Bucharest, Romania.

The second day will take place at the Human Rights and Nicolae Titulescu Hall of the Palace of the Parliament, S2 entrance, Izvor Street, Bucharest, Romania, as of 9 a.m., with the conclusions expected to be presented at 12.45 p.m. on 21 May 2010.

Registration information:
Registration for the media is free. For more information about the conference and to view the full programme schedule, visit: www.transparency.org.ro. Please also consult the website for further announcements about plenary speakers, research highlights, and press releases. CONTACTS: To register for The SEE Regional Anticorruption Conference, please contact: Ms. Ruxandra Mitică, ruxandra.mitica@transaprency.org.ro. Tel +040788.688.569.