Presenting the project, which the European Union is financing with EUR 250,000, TIH management board member Zorislav Antun Petrovic told reporters 15 seminars would be organised around the country until the end of the year.
He said TIH's goal and wish was for everyone to agree as much as possible, through education, on what conflict of interest meant and for public authorities to finally be impartial in making of important decisions.
Petrovic voiced hope that everyone involved would be better informed about conflict of interest in order to further reduce the risk of corruption.
Administration Minister Arsen Bauk said the government saw TIH as a key partner in the fight against corruption, adding that the government would use every possibility to prevent politicians from finding themselves in conflict of interest.
He said that would increase citizens' trust in politicians and that he was aware that politics was a profession which citizens did not trust very much at present.
We believe that is a consequence of the practice over the last eight years, of which we have evidence in many ongoing trials, said Bauk.
He said a bill on ethical conduct in public office and conflict of interest prevention was being drawn up and that it would define principles which politicians must stick to. He added the bill would be put up for public discussion and sent to parliament for standard adoption.
The deputy head of the EU Delegation to Croatia, Paolo Berizzi, said the fight against corruption and conflict of interest was one of the many criteria for EU accession.
He said the EU commended and was satisfied with the 2011 law on the prevention of conflict of interest in public office, and that it was one of the several things essential for completing the accession negotiations last June.
We said on that occasion that we expected the law to be carried out, notably the establishment of the Conflict of Interest Commission, but this has not been done yet, which gives cause for concern, said Berizzi.
The new government decided to share with the European Commission the draft law on ethical conduct in public office and the prevention of conflict of interest, he said, adding that the Commission had examined it and was willing to share its comments with the government.
We hope the government will take those comments into consideration as much as possible before drawing up the final version of the bill, said Berizzi.