OSCE Mission, Serbian authorities award participants of public procurement training programme

BELGRADE, 15 March 2007 - Fifty procurement officers completed an OSCE and Public Procurement Office training course in Belgrade today.

The programme of the course covered in detail the management of public procurement procedures. This was the first step towards implementing the 2006 recommendations for Serbia called Group of States against Corruption (GRECO).

The document mentions the need to improve the "implementation of public procurement law primarily through training of officials employed in purchasing entities". The course was designed in accordance with EU standards and practice in public procurement.

"I believe that together with the Public Procurement Office we succeeded in providing a blueprint for professional training and certification for officials whose work is crucial in the stewardship of public funds," said Anthony Pahigian, the Deputy Head of the OSCE Mission to Serbia, after awarding participants together with the Director of the Public Procurement Office of Serbia, Predrag Jovanovic.

"Such a system will hopefully be introduced in the future by law. It would greatly enhance the competence, status and independence of procurement officers, contribute to the quality of procedures and help lower the risk of inappropriate influences."