In 2006, and upon directives from his majesty King Abdullah II, the Government of Jordan (GoJ) issued the “Anti-Corruption Commission” law which paved the way for the establishment of the commission. As a result of Jordan ratifying the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) No. 28 of 2004 in 2005, this step marks Jordan’s entry into the world of institutional corruption fighting. Yet, there are many doubts about the current capacity of JIACC to perform its duties when given support, especially with the addition of a new task to prevent corruption using a participatory approach. Consequently, The European Delegation to Jordan is funding a twinning project between The Jordanian Integrity and Anti-Corruption Commission (JIACC) and European counterparts of Lithuania and Austria to maximize the level of performance of JIACC and enable it to execute its tasks more effectively under the name of ‘Support the Jordanian Integrity and Anti-Corruption Commission in the Fields of Integrity and Corruption Prevention’.

The EU twinning project aims at supporting and contributing to the implementation of the National Strategy for Integrity and Anti-Corruption 2017–2025 of Jordan, in particular, its strategic objectives – the activation of the Code of National Integrity and the consolidation of the integrity principles and standards in order to create an anti-corruption national environment, that will be performed under Component One titled; Develop and revise national integrity standards in the public sector to guarantee the implementation, compliance with, and activation of these standards with related institutions.

As well as developing the JIACC institutional capacities and improving its performance in a way that will enhance the JIACC achievements, and this will be implemented under Component Two: Enhance the capacities of specialized departments in JIACC in assessing and managing corruption risks in selected sectors

This project will serve in its two components to transfer the necessary knowledge and develop the necessary capacities to enable JIACC to take on the best practices of the EU and international organizations, adopt the best practices to Jordan’s circumstances, and improve efforts against corruption as well as implementing integrity standards. Furthermore, the proposed activities, based on conceptual and practical approaches, will serve as a tool to support JIACC’s reforming efforts and operations (establishment of a national training center, institutionalization of training plans and operations, development of financial mechanisms to ensure the sustainability of activities and progress accomplished during the Project, etc.).

The project is being implemented by the lead MS partner Special Investigation Service of the Republic of Lithuania (STT), and the junior MS partner Austrian Agency for European Integration and Economic Development (AEI) in cooperation with the Jordanian Integrity & Anti-Corruption Commission (JIACC).

— Amman – EU Twinning Project to hold 6^th Project Steering Committee Meeting in Amman —

The 6th Steering Committee meeting of the EU Twinning project “Support the Jordanian Integrity and Anti-Corruption Commission in the Fields of Integrity and Corruption Prevention” was held in Amman on 13 June, 2022. The meeting was attended by the project’s stakeholders and Member States, led by the Lithuanian Project Leader and First Deputy Director of the Special Investigation Service of the Republic of Lithuania (STT), Mr. Jovitas Raškevičius, the Austrian Project Leader and Legal expert at the Austrian Ministry of Finance, Mr. Gerhard Levy, and the counterparts from the Jordanian Integrity and Anti-Corruption Commission (JIACC) led by the Board Member and Project Leader from JIACC, H.E Sami Salaita, with the active participation of EU Delegation to Jordan representatives and Contracting Authority, The Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation (MOPIC).

Discussions focused on results and achievements reached in the last three months and on forthcoming activities and workplan for the next six months, when project closure is foreseen. Mr. Raškevičius and Mr. Levy expressed their highest appreciation for the comprehensive cooperation between the project team, the beneficiary and experts who worked in parallel to reach project’s outcomes and milestones. They both stressed the importance of the international cooperation and exchanging best practices between the member state countries and the beneficiary, especially in light of the current need of the joined efforts to strengthening integrity and fighting corruption.

Additionally, H.E Salaita emphasized that this meeting provides stakeholders and project team with an opportunity to applaud what has been achieved so far, but also to discuss the latest issues in the field of integrity and corruption prevention. He added that the JIACC has been actively assessing the project’s outputs and adhering them to the internal operational system that will enhance the efforts of their experts, specialist and employees.

The Resident Twinning Advisor, Mr. Egidijus Kulikauskas gave an outlook of the results achieved so far and underlined the process was still on track. Additionally, he commended the participation of MDAs, NGOs, and CSOs who were and are still actively involved in the project’s missions, as well as for highlighting the needs and requirements to ensure the cooperative enhancement with the JIACC in implementing the National Strategy for Integrity & Anti-Corruption of Jordan.

The EU Twinning Project is financed by the European Union for a total amount of €1,5 million and aims to support national institutional efforts in Jordan to strengthen Integrity and Corruption Prevention. It is implemented by the lead MS partner, Special Investigation Service of the Republic of Lithuania (STT), and the junior MS partner Austrian Agency for European Integration and Economic Development (AEI) in cooperation with the Jordanian Integrity and Anti-Corruption Commission (JIACC).