Lithuania seeks to be among most transparent EU countries by 2025

Such ambitious plans are raised in the National Anticorruption Programme for 2015-2025. The draft resolution was approved on Tuesday by the Parliamentary Committee on National Security and Defence.

The deputy director told ELTA news agency that Lithuania’s anticorruption strategy that was approved 15 years ago has now been revamped. The new long-term programme will cover a period of 11 years. By approving the document in Parliament Lithuania would set an objective to come close to the top 10 most transparent EU member states by 2025. In other words, by 2025 Lithuania should trust the government on the same level as Belgians or Germans do.

The strategic goal of the programme is to reduce corruption, increase transparency and openness in public and private sectors.

By 2025 Lithuania’s corruption perception index is expected to reach at least 70 points, whereas in 2013 it stood at 57. Another goal is that by 2025 the number of respondents (Lithuanian residents, businesspeople, public servants) who say that a bribe helps solve problems be below 33 percent. In 2014 it was 55 percent – 69 percent among residents, 43 percent among company directors and 54 percent among public servants.

The plan also seeks that by 2025 the number of the polled who indicate to have given a bribe in the last 5 years be below 10 percent. In 2014 it was at 31 percent.

Commenting on the National Anticorruption Programme, Deputy Director Zienka said that people should have access to information about how tax money is being spent.

“The goal is to enable people to receive information about every public procurement instance, how every municipality and every institution spends tax money. This would make the government, both on municipal and Governmental level, accountable to Lithuanian people,” said Zienka.

According to him, it is sought to further include non-governmental organisations, business associations and the private sector in combating corruption.

Furthermore, the need to increase protection of people who inform about corruption was emphasised.

Zienka said that the sociological research Map of Corruption in Lithuania 2014 suggests that the situation has improved. Businesspeople are more resolved not to give bribes and not to use corruption because this contradicts their beliefs.

The National Anticorruption Programme for 2015-2025 should be approved in the Seimas’ spring session.