Albanian 
Prishtinë, December 9, 2018 – On the international anti-corruption day, the American Chamber of Commerce in Kosovo expresses its concern over the declining transparency and the low commitment of the government and other state institutions with regards to fighting corruption.
Despite the ongoing calls for a more effective fight against this phenomenon which violates the prospects of sustainable economic development, the rhetoric of commitments dominates actions taken in this regard.
The achievement of concrete results in fighting corruption would serve as a concrete evidence of the commitment of the institutions responsible for the removal of a stain which is continuously affecting the country’s image in prestigious international and local organizations reports. Such reports undoubtedly lessen the opportunities in attracting foreign direct investments, while 2018 presents worrying figures in this regard.
The latest study conducted by AmCham on the perception of corruption found that over 75% of businesses believe that corruption in Kosovo is systematic, while the factors that enable corruption are the weak rule of law system, the lack of political will to fight corruption and the deficient framework, while over 50% of the businesses surveyed believe that the level of corruption has remained the same compared to five years ago.
In regards to the institutions in which businesses are confronted with corruption practices, the study found that they include line ministries, public enterprises, tax officials, justice institutions, and municipalities.
AmCham believes that an efficient and accountable judiciary would be vital to eradicating corruption, taking into account that the perception of corrupt judicial institutions ruins the confidence of businesses in these institutions and discourages their active role in reporting corruption. The corruption perception study found that only 15% of businesses reported corruption cases to the relevant authorities.
The American Chamber of Commerce believes that no other priority should overshadow the fight against corruption, as a corruption-free environment would provide equal development prospects for small and medium enterprises, increase the attractiveness for foreign direct investments, thus consequently providing real opportunities in creating new jobs.