Conference “Integrity without borders: Strategies to prevent and fight bribery of foreign public officials”

Co-organised by the Ministry of Justice, Public Administration and Digital Transformation and the U.S. Embassy in Croatia, the conference was held at the National and University Library in Zagreb on 17 May 2024.

The aim of the conference entitled “Integrity without borders: Strategies to prevent and fight bribery of foreign public officials” was to provide practical guidance for the implementation of the OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions, a key instrument in the fight against corruption in international business transactions. It brought together a number of experts and stakeholders, including representatives of the Ministry of Justice, Public Administration and Digital Transformation, Ministry of Finance, Anti-Money Laundering Office, Ministry of the Interior, State Attorney’s Office, USKOK, judges and representatives of academia and sectoral business associations.

Opening addresses were delivered by State Secretary Vedrana Šimundža Nikolić and U.S. Ambassador to Croatia Nathalie Rayes.

State Secretary Šimundža Nikolić recalled that in October 2023, Croatia officially became a member of the OECD Working Group on Bribery, and then the 46th Party to the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention.

“This was preceded by a number of activities to align the legislative and institutional framework with the standards set by the Convention and, consequently, to meet the requirements of the Working Group. First and foremost, amendments to the Criminal Code, the Act on the Liability of Legal Persons for Criminal Offences and the Corporate Income Tax Act were necessary”, said the State Secretary. She pointed out that the accession to the Convention and the Working Group represented not only an obligation for Croatia, but was also a sign of its full commitment to international cooperation and the fight against corruption.

News