Slovenian corruption is estimated at 13.5% of GDP
Slovenia loses 3.5 billion euros a year due to corruption, the president of the state anti-corruption commission Robert Šumi warned on Monday (December 6th).
He was speaking at a news conference ahead of UN International Anti-Corruption Day on Thursday.
The impact of corruption on the state is widespread.
Šumi said that successful prevention would enable better access to health and social services, better education and more jobs, adding that the 3.5 billion euros amounted to 13.5 percent of Slovenia’s GDP.
Were it not for these costs, every retiree in the country could receive an additional € 460 per month of state pension; each person could receive € 1,660 per year of state funding, effectively ending poverty in the country.
Shumi added that anti-corruption rules in the country are “exemplary”, but government officials do not follow them.
To help address this, Slovenia should transpose the European directive on the protection of whistleblowers into national law as soon as possible and create a safe environment for reporting crimes and offenses.
In the past, EU legislators have expressed serious concerns about the rule of law in Slovenia.
Slovenia, the current EU presidency, has not implemented any of the 15 anti-corruption recommendations it has received in recent years from the Group of States against Corruption (Greco), the pan-European supervisory body.
Visits by the EU Chief Prosecutor
Laura Kövesi, head of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO), a new body dedicated to recovering misused EU funds, visited Slovenia on Monday (December 6th) to discuss the recent appointment of two delegated prosecutors.
In November, the Slovenian government finally nominated Tanja Frank Eler and Matej Oštir to the EPPO, after Prime Minister Janez Janša personally delayed the process.
Shortly afterwards, Eler and Oštir were confirmed by the Council of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, which consists of prosecutors from 22 Member States.
Their term lasts five years and began on December 1, Kövesi told reporters on Monday.
With a surprising move, the Slovenian Ministry of Justice proposed amendments that would give the government a bigger say in the appointment process, thus eliminating the EPPO council from the equation.
In response, Kövesi said on Monday that European delegated prosecutors were appointed by the council, adding that “no one can dismiss EU prosecutors without the consent of the council”.
Kövesi met with representatives of the judiciary, but did not meet with Slovenian Minister of Justice Marjan Dikaučič.
“I was not born yesterday. I have experienced all sorts of attacks, intimidation and tricks to reduce the independence of the judiciary. You don’t need a frontal attack. Small steps can have the same effect,” Kövesi said.
“You get fewer people, less money, until the whole system suddenly changes. That’s why I would like to say to my colleagues in Slovenia: stay alert, speak up, you are not alone.”
Like all EU citizens, Slovenian citizens can report fraud or corruption in their country to the European Public Prosecutor’s Office.