EULEX is one of the early supporters and participants to the Council and was represented by Deputy Head of Mission Andy Sparkes.

With a total of 800 million euros spent on public procurement each year, weaknesses in the procurement processes open the door to bribery and corruption by organised criminals against the public purse. Corruption in public procurement is a recurring issue in trials that EULEX judges and prosecutors are engaged. Nine people were found guilty for procurement related corruption charges from a total of thirty-four persons who were found guilty by EULEX judges on corruption charges generally. EULEX has several on-going investigations into public procurement related corruption.

Deputy Head of Mission Andy Sparkes:

“I compliment the President in her efforts to steer this Council towards prioritising the fight against corruption in public procurement. In the last year some progress has been made to bring those people involved in procurement corruption to justice. However, there are still many areas where more progress has to be made to root out this misuse of public money that is entrusted to government institutions”.

During the Anti-Corruption Council meeting several recommendations were made such as strengthening and centralising the Central Procurement Agency, increasing the transparency of procurement processes and improving coordination between institutions in the fight against public procurement corruption.