Participants in the event agreed that there should be zero tolerance for bribery and corruption and underlined the importance of civil society in dealing with those problems.
Jadranka Kosor, Deputy PM and Minister of Family and War Veterans' Affairs and Inter-generational Solidarity, said that bribery and corruption could be eradicated, as shown by some EU countries.
The head of the OSCE Mission to Croatia, Jorge Fuentes Monzonis-Vilallonga, also called for zero tolerance towards corruption.
He went on to say that one of the main priorities of the OSCE in Croatia had been the strengthening of cooperation with civil society, resulting in more than 500 joint projects.
The head of the European Commission Delegation, Vincent Degert, said that citizens were the foundation of democracy and NGOs a clear expression of that voice. He stressed that associations supported investigations of corruption, strengthened public awareness, and protected corruption victims.
Croatian Justice Minister Ana Lovrin said that ten months after the adoption of the national programme for the prevention of corruption there were clear results.
The head of the Office for the Suppression of Corruption and Organised Crime (USKOK), Dinko Cvitan, said that USKOK and the Chief State Prosecutor's Office could not prevent corruption on their own and that cooperation of all state institutions was required.
Cvitan said that he was not satisfied with the results achieved, but he believed that all state institutions were responsible.
The Days of Associations event is being held today and on Friday under the auspices of the government and Minister Kosor.
The start of the event was overshadowed by a protest of NGOs dissatisfied with the government's attitude towards civil society. The NGOs urged the replacement of the head of the government's Office for Associations, Jadranka Cigelj.
Shortly afterwards, the government relieved Cigelj of her duties under urgent procedure, for sending a vetting questionnaire to members of the Council for the Development of Civil Society without the knowledge of the government.
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