9th May 2012

Government: Code of Ethics for public officials and public administration employees approved

At its session on 9 May, the Government also approved a proposal of the Ministry of Interior of Code of Ethics for public officials and public administration employees (Etický kodex úředníků a zaměstnanců veřejné správy). The aim of the Codex is to decrease possibilities of corruption. The text enumerates situations of conflicts of interest and explains how civil servants should behave in such cases. The Codex also emphasizes characteristic features of a servant (professionalism, efficiency, impartiality, loyalty, etc). The Codex also regulates the process of whistleblowing and encourages servants to announce corruption acting. However, some NGOs (Transparency International, Ekologický právní servis) claim that the Codex does not regulate the process effectively; a servant should inform a supervisor in case of corruption first instead of contacting an investigation authority.
The Codex is rather non-binding; any trespassing against the Codex should be treated according to the employment contract and to contract-based duties. The Ministry’s intention is that each public authority should prepare its own text in accordance with the Codex.  

The text of the Codex available here (Ministry of Interior sites)
For further information regarding the Codex, click here (Government) and here (Transparency International).  

Members of the American Chamber of Commerce in the Czech Republic