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Interview with Oleksii Khmara, President of Toro Creative Union, part of the Transparency International network

Toro Creative Union based out of Kirovograd, Ukraine, is a civil society organisation that strives to develop democratic procedures and citizen participation in the Ukraine. Since 2009 this human rights watch organisation has also been acting as Transparency International’s contact in the Ukraine.

Приехав в Украину, вы обязательно ощутите незабываемый вкус колоритной национальной традиции – взяточничества! Так приветствует всех желающих посетить Украину один из международных туристических порталов.

I have been living in Kirovograd, Ukraine for nine weeks, and it feels strange that I am about to leave. I feel that my time here has passed so quickly, but I have been able to accomplish and experience so much. I have made some great friends in Kirovograd and have met a lot of very interesting people.

Since the 1st of July 2010, the Ministry of Justice is aimed at looking for the factors fostering corruption in the projects of normative-legal acts, which are prepared by the officials of different levels. For conducting an expertise, the Ministry has developed a special document - the guidelines which define those factors and the methods of their detection. What are the opportunities to prevent corruption and what risks contain the document, explained the experts of the Creative Union "TORO", Transparency International - National Contact in Ukraine.

На сайте ТОРО доступна для скачивания книга Пола Раду "Следите за деньгами: Пособие для журналистов, разоблачающих коррупцию".

The overall effectiveness of the local administrations in the Kirovohrad region to implement the Concept of promoting the civil society development by the executive authorities does not exceed on the regional level 65% and on the district level 25%. At the same time, 3 of the 9 district state administrations which were submitted to the expertise, in actual fact did not even take part in the implementation of the Concept.

In the full of summer heat in Kiev was hot for another reason. In Ukraine, involving more than 70 representatives of ministries and departments, a special training on the implementation of the new legislation on conflict of interests has taken place. Within this framework, one of the leading international experts in the field of integrity, a Board member of Transparency International Belgium, Evert Jan Lammers visited Ukraine. Mr. Lammers found an opportunity to meet with the editorial staff of the newsletter “On the way to integrity” and to answer in the short interview some questions about similarities and differences in approaches to preventing corruption in Ukraine and Belgium.

Civil society activists of the Kirovohrad region will control the conduction of consultations with civil society during the decision-making by authorities; the experts of Transparency International Czech Republic will assist them and the local authorities will provide with information. Those results were achieved during the round table composing of civil society activists, authority’s representatives and experts from Transparency International Czech Republic, on the 15th of July 2010.

So far I have been in Ukraine for only a week, but it feels as though it has been much longer. In Kirovograd, I am living with a family, who from the moment I arrived has made me feel like part of their family.