The two much-praised bills aimed at combating corruption in our country are put before the plenary session of the Parliament for a vote tomorrow, Thursday. The first bill establishes an independent Anti-Corruption Authority, consisting of the Transparency Commissioner and four members, with the responsibility of taking the necessary initiatives and actions in matters of preventing and combating corruption in the Public, wider Public sector and in the private sector. The second bill institutionalizes the operation and control of lobbies and lobbyists by the independent Anti-Corruption Authority. Both bills have been debated in Parliament since 2019, the first before the Parliamentary Committee on Legal Affairs and the second before the Parliamentary Committee on Institutions. The two reports that accompany the bills were forwarded yesterday to the plenary of the Parliament, without recording the positions of the parties and specifically whether they agree on their vote. On the contrary, all parties reserved their place in tomorrow's plenary session of Parliament, which is expected to be long-lasting. According to all indications, both bills are expected to be passed in laws tomorrow, with the Republic taking another step forward for the disbursement of up to € 1.5 billion from the European Fund for Recovery and Sustainability, as the vote of the reporting of bills is a prerequisite.
Appointments and powers
The Transparency Commissioner and the four members of the Authority will be appointed by the Council of Ministers for a term of six years, on the recommendation of the Minister of Justice, who will nominate three times as many candidates. Prior to submitting his proposal to the Council of Ministers, the Minister of Justice is obliged to inform the Legal Committee of the Parliament. In terms of qualifications, the Transparency Commissioner and a member should be legally recognized, with the qualifications required to appoint a person as a judge of the Supreme Court, one member to be a distinguished and accredited accountant / auditor and the two remaining members is of recognized prestige.
Based on an amendment made by members of the Legal Committee, the Anti-Corruption Authority will not have the power to conduct criminal investigations, but only to examine and evaluate acts of corruption, either ex officio or following a complaint. In addition, it is explicitly stated in the bill that the Authority will have the power to examine, upon complaint or ex officio, acts of corruption in the Public and wider Public Sector, as well as in the private sector, provided that: to involve persons of the Public or the wider Public sector.
The lobbyists
The second bill regulates by law the activity commonly known as lobbying. The framework is defined which will regulate the contacts of the lobbyists with state and elected officials, with members of the state service or of the wider Public sector. The ultimate goal is transparency in this area as well, as all these meetings and consultations that are currently taking place in the backyards and behind closed doors of parties, ministerial offices, etc. will be recorded and made known, as the interests will be made known. which serve lobbyists who are also referred to as “investment producers”. The bill also provides for the creation of a register for the purpose of mandatory registration of lobbyists. This register will be kept by the Anti-Corruption Authority, which will be informed in writing about the meetings of the lobbyists with elected and state officials, as well as with public officials, as well as about the issue they discussed.
