The Stefan Batory Foundation

Anti-Corruption Program

Transparent Poland

contact: przeciw-korupcji@batory.org.pl

Grażyna Kopińska - Program Director
phone: (48 22) 536 02 58
Grażyna Czubek, phone: (48 22) 536 02 71
Adam Sawicki, phone: (48 22) 536 02 57

Report 2005

Report 2004

Project initiated and implemented by the publisher of Gazeta Wyborcza, Agora S.A., Polish American Freedom Foundation and Stefan Batory Foundation. We cooperate also with World Bank and Civic Education Center.

The aim of the project is to launch a social campaign for transparent operation of municipality offices. Local governments participating in the campaign implement a Model of Transparent Municipality prepared by the Anti-Corruption Program. This model, created for our Program and based on our experience, recommends six principles for the efficient functioning of an office: transparency, predictability, accountability, professionalism, public participation and zero tolerance for corruption.

The campaign was initiated in November 2003. In the pilot stage 16 communities (one in every province) gradually implemented the Model of Transparent Municipality with the help of experts from Foundation for the Development of Local Democracy. In October 2004 a mass information campaign began, conducted mainly by Gazeta Wyborcza and addressed to all municipalities in Poland. Participation in the project was open for the municipalities that made a pledge to implement at least some of the elements of the Model. 775 municipalities took part in the action. 16 local governments of the pilot phase served as consultants for other participants. Local governments that enrolled in the campaign had 12 months to implement the tasks they have chosen, at least three of them had to be completed by the end of September 2005. After completing all tasks 403 local governments obtained a certificate of Transparent Poland and were placed on a special “transparency map”.

Transparent Poland 2006

Continuation of the project in 2006 with the participation of 183 local governments of those awarded the Transparent Poland certificate, aims to entrench the solutions and changes introduced in the functioning of municipalities in the course of the social campaign a year earlier. Local governments participating in this stage of the project undertake a new set of tasks related to transparency, corruption prevention and civic involvement. Upon completion of the tasks, scheduled for the end of August 2006, the experts will select from among the participants a group of local governments that are leaders in the observance of the principles of transparent municipality, open to social control and engaged in authentic dialogue with the local community. A handbook of good practices will be published based on the model execution of tasks.

The continuation of the project includes also social monitoring of executed tasks by non-governmental organizations which comment the completion of tasks by the municipal offices on the project’s internet platform. Monitoring is coordinated by Association of Local Civic Groups.