National Contact Point and Partners Bring Together Experts in the Fight Against Corruption

On December 6, 2024, the National Contact Point for Responsible Business Conduct (NKT), in partnership with the Ministry of Justice, Administration, and Digital Transformation, and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC Croatia), organized the conference “Together for Integrity – Synergy Between the Business Sector and Public Administration in the Fight Against Corruption” in Zagreb.

The event was opened with introductory speeches by Damir Habijan, Minister of Justice, Administration, and Digital Transformation, Goran Romek, State Secretary of the Ministry of Economy, and Marina Rožić, Secretary General of ICC Croatia.

The conference featured three panels discussing key topics: the role of the OECD in strengthening anti-corruption policies in the private sector, transparency in lobbying activities and the business community’s influence on public policies, and the Whistleblower Protection Act as a crucial tool in preventing corruption. All these topics are vital for creating a corruption-free society, which is the overarching goal of the project that this conference is part of.

The first panel included Ameet Kabrawala, representative of the US Embassy, Mladen Bručić Matic, Director of the Directorate for European Affairs, International and Judicial Cooperation, and Anti-Corruption at the Ministry of Justice, Administration, and Digital Transformation, Ana Čulo, Head of the Investment Sector at the Ministry of Economy and member of the NCP, and Nataša Novaković, ESG Director at the Croatian Employers’ Association.

The second panel focused on transparency in lobbying activities and featured Aleksandra Jozić-Ileković, Chair of the Commission for Deciding on Conflict of Interest, Emanuel Kovačić, Senior Advisor for External Entities at INA-Industrija nafte d.d., Associate Professor Sunčana Roksandić from the Department of Criminal Law, Faculty of Law, University of Zagreb, member of the Council for Implementing the Code of Conduct for Government Officials, Lucia Ana Tomić, Director of Human Resources and Regulatory Affairs at Wiener osiguranje Vienna Insurance Group d.d., Vice President of ICC Croatia’s CSR and Anti-Corruption Commission, and Tomislav Lacović, Partner and Head of Strategic Communications at Vlahović Group d.o.o.

The final panel addressed the practical implementation of the Whistleblower Protection Act, with a special focus on its potential in preventing bribery and corruption in general. The panelists included Dijana Kesonja, Deputy Ombudsperson, Vinko Berković, Compliance Officer at Hrvatski Telekom d.d., Ivan Gazić, President of the Croatian Association for Business Compliance, and Martina Refi Homolak, Program Director for Justice and Human Rights at the Human Rights House.

The “Together for Integrity – Synergy Between the Business Sector and Public Administration in the Fight Against Corruption” conference marked the conclusion of the national anti-corruption campaign within the National Recovery and Resilience Plan for the period 2021-2026. The project is implemented by the Ministry of Justice, Administration, and Digital Transformation and is funded by the European Union.