EL 
EN 
The inaugural 1st Integrity Forum, the first of its kind in Greece, was a resounding success. Organised by the NTA on the occasion of World Anti-Corruption Day on 9 December, the Forum addressed the crucial issue of strengthening citizens’ trust in institutions, with the central topic "Enhancing Citizens' Trust in Institutions".
Participants were given the chance to position themselves and exchange views in three rounds of thematic discussions. These focused on the importance of transparency in strengthening citizens’ trust, which is a key pillar in addressing the impact of the pandemic. The main presentations focused on issues such as the importance of economic recovery programmes, the establishment of the Internal Audit System in Greek public administration, the regulation of lobbying, the incorporation of the Whistleblowers Directive, and the challenges in immigration and asylum policy.
The Forum was attended by over 900 high-level executives from the public and private sector, as well as Secretaries General of Ministries, representatives of the European Commission, Municipalities and Regions, Civil Society, NGOs and Independent Authorities.
The NTA Governor, Mr. Angelos Binis, commenced proceedings by presenting the Authority's work and noting that “today is World Anti-Corruption Day, providing another opportunity to collaborate in strengthening integrity and accountability mechanisms in our country”. We are presenting the results of a survey conducted by the NTA to ascertain the concerns of citizens, record their priorities and expectations in the aftermath of two major crises – the economic and the pandemic – in order to implement policies and actions that will contribute substantially to regaining and strengthening citizens' trust in public and government institutions.
The event commenced with introductory greetings from Deputy Prime Minister Mr. Panagiotis Pikrammenos. In reference to the relationship between citizens and politics, he stated, “It is my view that trust is a primary factor influencing the level of engagement between citizens and politics, and is directly correlated with the efficacy of the political system and the quality of democracy”. A lack of trust in the political system (in politicians, institutions or both) indicates that one or more of its components are not operating effectively or correctly. On this World Anti-Corruption Day, I would like to invite you to engage in a collective reflection. Corruption is frequently a citizen's means of defending themselves, reacting to, or, more accurately, "revenging" against a state in which they do not have confidence. However, philosophical discussions and debates about integrity are not utopian. There are countries, particularly in Northern Europe, that have successfully integrated this concept into their societies. As I have stated in interviews and speeches, the only solution is to reform the State and inspire confidence in citizens. We must maintain vigilance and courage in our decision-making. By doing so, we can establish an ethical culture, which will enable us to achieve prosperity, wealth production, quality of life, and an enjoyable daily life through an honourable life.
Minister of State Mr. George Gerapetritis emphasised that “there was no scope for the National Transparency Authority within the executive state, as this was a crucial space for democratic processes, which had to be dedicated to transparency and integrity. The first step was to establish an institution that would act as a guardian for transparency and democracy. While there is a general acceptance that transparency and integrity are structural elements of democracy, the means of achieving this are not always effective in managing the issue of corruption, which has been a challenge for decades. It is therefore essential that any new form of governance is subject to the appropriate accountability and scrutiny. In establishing the NTA, we have drawn on best practices from abroad, which have been documented to combat the pathologies that plague the administration, with the goal of instilling a sense of trust in state institutions. In practice, this structural reform was implemented immediately. The NTA was set up by merging many disparate audit mechanisms and became fully operational in a very short time. The consolidation of these competences in a strong and unified Authority was the key difference, providing greater visibility and effectiveness in the fight against corruption.
Mr. Athanasios Bouras, Vice President of the Parliament and President of the Special Permanent Committee on Institutions and Transparency, commended the Authority’s significant contributions, as evidenced in the two reports already submitted to the Committee on Institutions and Transparency. He also highlighted the fruitful cooperation with the Hellenic Audit Office's management and staff, as well as the Audit Committee of the Parliament, in conducting the background check audit. The Central Debate on "Strengthening the relationship between citizens and institutions" was attended by the following participants:
Empowering the relationship between citizens and institutions
In the central discussion on "Empowering the citizen-institution relationship", participants made their statements:
The Minister of Finance, Mr. Christos Staikouras, highlighted among others: "At the Ministry of Finance, over the last two years, we have implemented and promoted a series of measures and initiatives aimed at increasing transparency and strengthening citizens' trust in institutions. Specifically, among other measures, we have incorporated into the Greek legal system the European Union's anti-money laundering and anti-terrorist financing legislation. We have published the national list of persons who have held or are currently holding important public office in Greece, in order to ensure full transparency for politically exposed persons. We have developed and are implementing the National Anti-Corruption Action Plan 2022-2025 of the National Transparency Authority, with the participation of the Ministry of Finance in both its development and implementation. In addition, we are initiating and submitting for public consultation the Bill for the incorporation of Directive 2019/1153, which aims to facilitate the use of financial and other information for the prevention, detection, investigation or prosecution of criminal offences. At the same time, the Ministry of Finance is taking a strong position in the public dialogue at global and European level as a co-designer of developments, leaving behind the role of passive observer for good. With dedication and hard work, we are continuing to define the national policy in the field of combating corruption and increasing transparency".
The Minister of Justice, Mr. Konstantinos Tsiaras, spoke about the significant improvement in citizens' confidence in the institutions of the Greek justice system, stressing that "the most important component for the establishment of transparency is justice. It is the sense of citizens’ confidence in their institutions that ensures the respect of the rule of law". He pointed out that in recent years "the justice has steadily regained its prestige", which is reflected in international reports on the national justice system. Specifically, according to the data presented by Mr Tsiaras:
Perceptions of the independence of the justice have risen above the European average. 55% of citizens perceive the independence of the justice as good or very good, a percentage that has increased compared to the previous year (53%). Business confidence has risen to 61% compared to 53% last year, reflecting the contribution of the justice in recent years to improving the business and investment climate. At the same time, Mr Tsiaras referred to the important legislative initiatives taken in the last two years to increase transparency.
The Minister of the Interior, Mr. Makis Voridis, praised the contribution of the National Transparency Authority in implementing the Executive State’s strategic plan, which he described as a significant institutional achievement that enabled political forces to develop an effective strategy. Furthermore, he highlighted the government's primary objective of combating corruption, citing SYRIZA's practice of targeting political opponents and fabricating conspiracies as a negative example. This practice has resulted in a significant decline in Greece's ranking in all international corruption combat indices. Finally, the Minister of the Interior made a special mention of the training programme for internal auditors and integrity advisors implemented by the National Transparency Authority in collaboration with the National Centre for Public Administration and Local Government. The first 50 successful participants have already been placed in their units.
The Deputy Minister of Migration and Asylum, Mrs Sofia Voultepsi, speaking about the phenomenon of corruption, said characteristically: " The Lernaean hydra of corruption consumes enormous amounts of money every year, diverting public resources, undermining citizens' trust and causing widespread desensitisation. It is a global phenomenon, deeply rooted, affecting both the public and private sectors. This is not an easy war, nor will it be won easily or in the near future. Many more hard-fought battles will be needed to change the deeply ingrained culture of zero tolerance for corruption and to defeat this anti-social behaviour. It would be funny to claim that corruption has been fought and eradicated because one political system or ideology has prevailed over another. Propaganda about the integrity of those with a particular ideology undermines the efforts to convince people of the value of integrity and to restore public confidence in state institutions. Claims about the 'moral superiority' of certain political groups effectively undermine citizens' trust and the collective fight against corruption".
The discussion was moderated by the journalist Nikos Rogakos from the ANT1 TV.
"Migration, NGOs & Transparency"
In the thematic session "Migration, NGOs & Transparency,"" the following participated with their presentations:
Mr. Evangelos Konstantinou, Special Secretary for the Coordination of Relevant Bodies of the Ministry of Migration and Asylum, noted that "with the establishment of the Special Secretariat for the Coordination of Relevant Bodies and the introduction of a new legislative framework in 2020, a new registry was created to register Greek and foreign NGOs active in migration issues in Greece. For the first time, 2020 also established a register of NGO members. Contrary to many claims, this special secretariat was not created to further increase bureaucracy in the field of migration, but to protect the social whole and vulnerable social groups'. Mr. Konstantinou continued saying: 'Precisely for this reason, we have introduced new safeguards in the NGO registration process, while for the first time the registration of their members has been foreseen. Despite constant protests both in Greece and in international fora, no organisation that met the defined criteria was excluded from registering with the Ministry of Migration and Asylum, not even the newly established ones. At this point, it is worth mentioning something that many avoid mentioning: a rejection decision does not deprive any organisation of the opportunity to register, as they can reapply the very next day and achieve registration without any restriction on the right to resubmit their application. In this context, I would like to note that, to date, the initial screening of some 6,000 applications for NGO membership has been completed, and we aim to significantly reduce the processing time for applications by the end of the first quarter of 2022. At the same time, 53 organisations have been added to the NGO Registry, 29 are in Phase A and 26 in Phase B. However, 115 organisations have been rejected and many have resubmitted their applications".
Mrs. Beate Gminder, Deputy Director General of the European Commission, DG Home, stressed that "the Commission believes it is essential to build and maintain a dynamic and thriving civil society in Europe. To achieve this, we need to create and strengthen productive relationships between national authorities and civil society organisations, promote volunteering and continuously improve the regulatory framework to ensure a transparent and independent environment for the creation and operation of civil society organisations and NGOs".
Mr. Dimitris Kairidis, Member of Parliament for New Democracy and Professor of International Relations at Panteion University, noted that NGOs have played a key role in managing the refugee issue for a number of reasons. At the same time, the issue has been a prominent topic in recent news and, therefore, a matter of significant public interest. In light of the various pressures, the government and state policy have tried to balance the need to protect borders and respect state sovereignty on the one hand, and the respect for humanitarian law on the other.
Mr. Nikos Kemos, President of the Board of Directors of the NGO Praksis, emphasized that "the main objective of PRAKSIS is the creation, implementation and realisation of humanitarian programmes and medical actions, providing services to populations at risk. PRAKSIS's commitment to transparency and accountability dates back to its inception in 2004, with commitments to detailed action reports, financial transparency and good governance. We believe in cooperation between the state, the private sector and civil society organisations. We seek a stable framework for consultation with the state to utilize our experience. In addition to financial audits of the programmes we implement, we want to measure the social impact of the programmes we implement".
The discussion was moderated by the journalist Mr. Yannis Souliotis of Kathimerini newspaper and ERT TV.
Integrity Summit
In the final thematic session, entitled "Integrity Summit", executives from audit entities exchanged views on topics such as new data and international trends in the post-COVID-19 era, the role of internal auditors, and the development and strengthening of mechanisms to prevent and detect fraud and corruption.
Mrs. Vera Marmalidou, President of IIA Greece and ECIIA Board Member, spoke about data analytics and how it significantly enhances the audit process both quantitatively and qualitatively, strengthening it on the basis of objectivity, integrity and completeness. She also explained what continuous auditing is and why it is linked to integrity. Continuous auditing covers not only the quantity of data analysed to draw comprehensive conclusions, but also the time dimension. Finally, she discussed various guidelines, frameworks and tools available from the IIA and COSO to enhance integrity and the purpose of the Anti-fraud collaboration in which the IIA participates with other international organisations such as the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD).
Mr. Charalambos Xydis, President of ACFE Greece, referring to recent international research from ACFE Global, highlighted the clear and documented trend of increasing fraud cases worldwide, particularly in specific forms such as cyber fraud, social engineering, payment fraud, and identity theft. He attributed this trend to the environment created by the pandemic. He also argued that the next day will be full of challenges, and businesses/organisations will be called upon to tackle the risk of fraud by developing or evolving their anti-fraud programmes. This will require a focus on employee awareness training, fraud risk assessment and management, and the implementation of modern technological solutions and tools. He also highlighted the importance of international standards ISO 37001 (Anti-bribery Management Systems) and 37301 (Compliance Management Systems) in the development and implementation of good corporate governance practices and in shaping a culture of ethics and integrity within organisations and businesses.
Mr. Evangelos Tsekrekos, President of the Board of the Greek Professional Association of Regulatory Compliance (SEKASE), referring to Regulatory Compliance and its areas of activity, stated: "In my opinion, corruption is linked to a 'distorted' mentality, a problematic culture, dysfunctional institutions and problematic implementation of laws/regulations. Regulatory compliance works in these areas in a positive way. It helps to create the right mentality and culture, supports institutions and strengthens the mechanisms for implementing the legal and ethical framework. In particular, we are now in an era where the factors that make up the ESG environment are taken seriously by banks, regulators, shareholders, investors, customers/partners. Regulatory Compliance strengthens the control mechanisms, advises on a daily basis on the implementation of policies/procedures and educates on the regulatory framework and ethical rules, thus being part of the ESG system. The establishment of the Regulatory Compliance function in listed companies by Law 4706/2020 is a significant and substantial development, provided that a corporate environment is gradually created that genuinely supports and monitors compliance with the regulatory framework and ethical rules. Its effectiveness therefore depends on the extent to which management believes in compliance, supports it in practice and "promotes" it internally.
Mr. Nikos Drakos, President of ISACA, noted, "The COVID-19 pandemic has forced organisations to move quickly to implement new technologies and provide new digital services to support their business activities in the best possible way. The need to reassess operational risks and the increased demands for the appropriate and secure use of technology are ongoing challenges for organisations. ISACA's goal is to promote education and training in technology issues, as well as the identification and adoption of standards. By acquiring specialised skills through internationally recognised certifications in areas such as auditing (CISA - Certified Information Systems Auditor) and information systems security (CISM - Certified Information Security Manager), professionals in the field are provided with the necessary tools.
Mrs. Penelope Miniati from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (D.E.E.) stated: "The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (D.E.E.) has long recognised the value of cooperation with other organisations at both the national and European levels in combating corruption and ensuring transparency and integrity in all areas of society. It therefore adopts a holistic approach, working with the country's independent authorities that are active in these matters," she continued, noting that "during the pandemic, criminal activity changed form, moving from society to the Internet, resulting in an upward trend, especially in online fraud. The D.E.E., demonstrating quick reflexes, has redesigned and adapted its existing protocols and adopted modern analysis and investigation techniques, such as machine learning/artificial intelligence models, to meet these new challenges".
Mr. Vasilis Papakostas, Head of the Cybercrime Unit, emphasised that "the significant development of the information technology sector and the increased participation of citizens in the new era of the information society have brought about major technological achievements and conveniences that, on the one hand, facilitate daily life, but, on the other hand, create a suitable field for the emergence of a new form of criminal activity using these technologies". Mr. Papakostas continued: "Especially in the current era, the COVID-19 pandemic has forced both the public and private sectors to adapt to new circumstances by using remote working, virtual private networks (VPNs) and online conveniences to ensure operational continuity. In this year's Europol Report, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic remains evident. As there is now no crime that cannot be committed online, the accelerated digitalisation associated with the pandemic has significantly influenced the development of a range of cyber threats".
During the Forum, an art exhibition was held featuring works by students who were distinguished in the first Panhellenic Student Competition, " Integrity Leaders of Tomorrow." This competition was organised by the Hellenic Authority for Transparency in collaboration with the Ministry of Education & Religious Affairs and the Institute of Educational Policy. Students from all educational levels creatively expressed values such as transparency, truth, respect, democracy, and justice through various forms of art (e.g., paintings, collages, posters, videos, essays, poems). A total of 217 students participated in the competition, with a total of 157 works representing 37 schools from all over the country.
Please find the link below to access the Forum: https://aead.gr/1st-integrity-forum/