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OSCE Kosovo Mission says public benefits from greater transparency in political party financing
PRISTINA 9 June 2004
PRISTINA, 9 June 2004 - In a report released today, the OSCE Mission in Kosovo (OMIK) finds that political parties in Kosovo have made significant improvements in 2002 and 2003 in disclosing their financial information compared to previous years.
The OMIK Political Party Registration Office noted an improvement in co-operation between the political parties and the auditors. The report is the result of an audit of all registered political parties in Kosovo for any activity - not only related to election periods - over this two-year period.
"It is in the interests of voters that political parties display transparency in financial matters," the authors of the report write. "This disclosure was also an attempt to get political parties to recognize the benefits of transparency. Trying to establish democratic transparency is a vital component in achieving this goal."
Nearly all parties submitted their reports by the deadline of 1 March 2004. The information they were asked to disclose included monetary donations and in-kind contributions exceeding 1,500 euros in value from a single source, as well as disbursements in excess of 10,000 euros to one single source within the same two years. The obligation to provide this information is based on the United Nations Mission in Kosovo's Administrative Direction No. 2004/01.
The OMIK Political Party Registration Office noted an improvement in co-operation between the political parties and the auditors. The report is the result of an audit of all registered political parties in Kosovo for any activity - not only related to election periods - over this two-year period.
"It is in the interests of voters that political parties display transparency in financial matters," the authors of the report write. "This disclosure was also an attempt to get political parties to recognize the benefits of transparency. Trying to establish democratic transparency is a vital component in achieving this goal."
Nearly all parties submitted their reports by the deadline of 1 March 2004. The information they were asked to disclose included monetary donations and in-kind contributions exceeding 1,500 euros in value from a single source, as well as disbursements in excess of 10,000 euros to one single source within the same two years. The obligation to provide this information is based on the United Nations Mission in Kosovo's Administrative Direction No. 2004/01.