The EU Anti-Corruption Initiative (EUACI) continues working to improve the management of municipal enterprises and minimise corruption risks in Integrity Cities. This autumn, new integrity assessments are being launched at 3 more enterprises.
On 11 September, the integrity assessment of Mykolaivpastrans, the municipal public transport enterprise, was launched in Mykolaiv.
On 25 September, the assessment of the Central City Clinical Hospital started in Chernivtsi.
Also, on 9 October, the integrity assessment of the municipal enterprise Zhytomyrvodokanal will also be launched in Zhytomyr.
The integrity assessment is a tool for identifying potential risks in the activities of municipal enterprises. Each enterprise is evaluated across eight areas, including governance, asset management, public procurement, ethics, services and communications, using a unified system of indicators.
“What matters to us is gaining a practical understanding of how the municipal enterprises’ key processes work today, where risks to their effective, transparent and ethical operation may arise, and, most importantly, what can be done to reduce them. Particular attention will be given to corporate governance and to the enterprises’ readiness to implement the relevant OECD principles. We would like the outcome of the integrity assessment to be not only a list of risks, but a clear and realistic plan of next steps. This is why open and constructive cooperation with the enterprises’ teams is so important to us,” said Dmytro Iakymchuk, Team Leader of the Integrity Cities Component.
The assessment will draw on interviews with management and staff, patient surveys, internal documents and open data, as well as other sources. Based on the findings, each enterprise will receive a report and a risk minimisation plan setting out specific steps. The results will be presented publicly.
To date, integrity assessments have been conducted at 10 municipal enterprises in five Integrity Cities, including water utilities, hospitals, and road and trolleybus departments. The recommendations are already making a difference.
