The President of the Republic defended this Saturday the need to “increase critical awareness among political and economic elites” to counter “a damaging public perception” that the consequences of corruption are having on “certain sectors of activity in Portugal”.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa published a note on the website of the Presidency of the Republic on the occasion of the International Day Against Corruption, which is celebrated this Saturday.
“On this International Day against Corruption, the President of the Republic emphasizes the need to raise critical awareness among political and economic elites in order to reverse the damaging public perception of the effects that the phenomenon of corruption has on certain sectors of activity in Portugal ” , he appealed, without indicating which sectors he was referring to.
The Head of State believes that “as a condition for good economic performance” it is also important to make progress “in the legislative and operational fight against the most common risk factors identified by the European Commission”.
Among these, the president points to “conflicts of interest, double financing, cartel formation, or the lack of technical capacity and an organizational culture against fraud and an unregistered economy.”
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa also expresses a word of recognition for initiatives running throughout the country, with the participation of schools, universities, observatories, research centers and non-governmental organizations, “mobilizing young people towards literacy and ethics regarding corruption and transparency, enhancing the role of civil society in improving the foundations of our democracy”.
The International Day Against Corruption is celebrated annually on December 9. The aim is to raise awareness about combating and preventing corruption in order to mobilize resources to combat it, according to a government website.
The chosen theme for this year is “UNCAC at 20: Uniting the World Against Corruption” and marks the twentieth anniversary of the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC).
This day was implemented through a resolution adopted at the United Nations General Assembly on October 31, 2003.
Source: DN
