Sambia EU Projekte

Uzbekistan: EU Twinning Systematisation and simplification of the regulatory framework

Details
Published: December 10, 2024
Project launch in May 2024
Project launch in May 2024

EU-Twinning-Project

Uzbekistan: EU Twinning Systematisation and simplification of the regulatory framework
1 April 2024 to 31 July 2026
IRZ: Lead
Budget: 1,8 Mio. Euro
Person responsible at IRZ: Anja Dr. Schoeller-Schletter

On 1 April 2024, the IRZ, in a team with the Latvian Ministry of Justice as a junior partner, was able to launch this twinning project on legislation and systematisation. The project has a total budget of 1.8 million EUR and will run until 31 July 2026.

Trade and economic development continue to play a central role for the country on the Silk Road. Investors and trade partners attach great importance to a transparent and predictable normative environment in their economic relations. Modernising the regulatory framework and making it more transparent has been a priority for Uzbekistan's policymakers for several years. The European Union is supporting Uzbekistan in this endeavour with a specially designed project that aims to share expertise and best practice between ministries of EU member states and the Uzbek Ministry of Justice in a spirit of partnership.

The project supports the Uzbek Ministry of Justice in its efforts to improve the normative environment for economic development and trade by increasing consistency and transparency. The core topics are the systematisation of laws, impact assessment and the inclusion of the affected institutions and groups of people in the development of standards.

Together with the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the German and Latvian experts have started to develop training concepts and learning materials to help employees optimise the inventory, summarisation and recodification of the framework. Modern interactive online platforms with information on best practice are being developed and methods are being tested that ensure long-term and predictable legislative planning under the country's own circumstances. An integral part of the project is also to present the possibilities and limitations of new digital possibilities in the area of systematisation. This is illustrated by study trips to Riga and Berlin.

Until June 2026, German, Latvian and international experts will work together with their Uzbek colleagues to clear the ‘forest of norms’ and make legislative planning clearer, against the background of similar issues and experiences in EU countries. If Uzbekistan can improve its ranking in the internationally recognised indices on rule of law, government transparency and economic freedom, a great deal would have been achieved.

Zambia: Peer-to-Peer institutional support to the Anti-Corruption Commission in Zambia

Details
Published: November 1, 2021

EU-Twinning-Project

Peer-to-Peer Institutional Support to the Anti-Corruption Commission, Zambia
August 2021 – August 2024
IRZ Juniorpartner
Budget: 2 Mio. Euro
Projekt Leader: Jaakko Christensen
Junior Project Leader: Andreas Stüve
RTA: Mika Antosalo
Responsible at IRZ: Katharina Tegeder, Andreea Pop

IRZ implements as junior partner the project "Peer-to-Peer institutional support to the Anti-Corruption Commission in Zambia" under the leadership of HAUS Finnish Institute of Public Management. The implementation of this project - with a duration of 36 months and a budget of EUR 2 million - started in September 2021. 

Zambia is currently in the midst of comprehensive anti-corruption reforms and has made significant progress in this area over the past decade, according to the EU's assessment. However, corruption remains a major problem in the country.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) in Zambia was established in 1980 by an Act of Parliament, the Corruption Act No. 14 of 1980. The 1980 Act was repealed by the Anti-Corruption Act No. 42 of 1996, which in turn was repealed by the Anti-Corruption Commission Act No. 38 of 2010. This law was also repealed and replaced by the Anti-Corruption Act No. 3 of 2012. 

The Anti-Corruption Commission is tasked with preventing corruption, investigating suspected corruption, and raising awareness of the fight against corruption in the country.

In this context, the project aims to strengthen the management and technical capacity of the ACC and improve its cooperation with other institutions involved in the fight against corruption.

The project is composed of four components: 

First component: Strengthening the anti-corruption legislation and legal framework 

The purpose of this component is to review and update existing legislation and to draft new legislation where necessary to respond to identified gaps in existing legislation. It also aims to enable the ACC to develop a strategic plan for the fight against corruption. 

Second component: Better detection, investigation and prosecution of corruption cases

The second component focuses on building the ACC's capacity to detect corruption crimes, conduct on-the-ground investigations, and prosecute corruption cases. A specific objective is also to build the capacity to prosecute high-profile cases and deploy forensic support.

Third component: preventing corruption by educating and raising public awareness

The third component aims to increase public confidence in the ACC and support the development of partnerships between the ACC and other public and private entities involved in the fight against corruption. In addition, anti-corruption training is planned for relevant stakeholders outside the Audit Office, with a particular focus on the Members of Parliament.

Fourth component: Network of public authorities involved in the fight against corruption

The final component aims to establish and strengthen cooperation among government authorities involved in the fight against corruption, which include, amongst others: National Audit Office, ZRA, Financial Intelligence Unit, Zambia Public Procurement Authority, and the National Assembly of Zambia.

Transformation Talk on Asset Recovery & Forfeiture

On May 15, 2024, a high-level "Transformation Talk on Asset Recovery & Forfeiture" took place at the University of Zambia (UNZA) in Lusaka, which was attended by the ambassadors of Germany, Finland and the European Union, the Director General of the Zambian Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), the Dean of UNZA, representatives of the Zambian National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Transparency International, GIZ and “German Cooperation”, as well as numerous students and lecturers from UNZA. In his opening statement, the Director General of ACC emphasized the importance of the anonymous online whistleblower system developed in cooperation with the Twinning project, which represents a major step forward in Zambia's fight against corruption.

Two representatives of the Twinning project from IRZ and the Finnish agency HAUS then had the opportunity to discuss the differences and similarities between the various legal systems and practical issues relating to asset recovery and confiscation in a lively panel discussion with representatives of the ACC, the NPA and Transparency International. The discussion focused in particular on whether confiscation of assets without prior conviction can be a useful measure in the fight against organised crime and corruption, and whether the confiscation of unexplained wealth – for example by applying rules on reversing the burden of proof – could be introduced. All participants agreed that asset recovery and confiscation are important aspects in the fight against crime and that this topic is of great importance.

The lively participation of the audience in the discussion and numerous questions posed by students, lecturers and Zambian civil society showed that the topic is of great importance in the current political discussion in Zambia and must be pursued further – also with the participation of IRZ as part of the Zambian Twinning project.