Sarajevo, 7 December, 2009 – The EU Police Mission and BiH police agencies launched a nationwide anti-corruption campaign today in the Blue Room of the BiH Parliament Building. Under the slogan Corruption takes everything the campaign aims to further educate citizens on forms of corruption and explain ways in which it can be suppressed.

In attendance at the event were EUPM Commissioner, Stefan Feller, BiH Deputy Minister of Security, Mijo Krešić, Republika Srpska (RS) Interior Minister, Stanislav Čađo, RS Police Director, Uroš Pena, State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) Director, Mirko Lujić and Federation BiH Interior Minister, Muhidin Alić, and Brčko District Police Chief Goran Lujić.

In his opening speech, Minister Krešić emphasized that the “fight against corruption is one of the most important elements for the stability and prosperity of our society. Defining corruption is simple, fighting it is complex and it requires the involvement of every individual.”

The campaign’s opening event began with a mock-parliamentary session whereby a select group of high school students debated the issue of corruption and decided whether to pass the Law on the Agency for the Fight Against Corruption. The students unanimously agreed to pass the law.

The event also saw the introduction of the media elements of the campaign. The attendees were shown the television commercial and teaser trailer which form part of the wide-ranging media outreach within the public awareness campaign. Corruption takes everything is set to last for two months, concluding at the end of January 2010.

EUPM Commissioner Feller concluded at the event: “We all want to live in a society that is not just based on the possibilities of the powerful few. In such a society, corruption is like cancer. You have to take charge and to accept the responsibility to take the fight against corruption seriously. You have started to do that today, and this is something that will be important, crucial, for this society for many years to come.”