Ingjerd Schou i Europarådet

Stortingsrepresentant Ingjerd Schou er medlem av Europarådet som har møte hele denne uken i Strasbourg.

I Europarådet var det i går innlegg både fra Israel og Palestina - samt drøfting av situasjonene med innlegg og synspunkter fra salen.

Videre var statsministeren i Hellas, Papandreou i Europarådet, og holdt innlegg om situasjonene i hans hjemland, samt hans syn på utviklingen i Europa. Han ga også støtte til Jagland sine reformplaner. Schou hadde gleden av å hilse på og samtale med den greske statsministeren, samt invitere ham nok en gang tilbake til Norge, han var i Norge som ung mann sammen med sin far for mange år siden.

Schou er medlem av Komiteen for økonomiske saker og utvikling. I denne komiteen ble det denne uken drøftet like lønnsvilkår for kvinner og menn - og en utredning på dette område som skal drøftes videre i Europarådet.

I tillegg har det vært en diskusjon om hvordan komme den svarte økonomien til livs i Europa og hvilke tiltak som det enkelte land kan iverksette.

Tirsdag kveld var hele den norske delegasjonen invitert hjem til middag hos Europarådets generalsekretær Thorbjørn Jagland.

Ingjerd Schou holdt sitt innlegg onsdag formiddag. Det handlet om juridisk korrupsjon - dvs nødvendigheten av åpenhet om rekruttering og ansettelses prosess av dommer - og ansatte i rettssystemet.
Her er hennes innlegg:

Statement by Mrs Ingjerd Schou,
The Norwegian delegation
Wednesday 27.1.2010 - Judicial corruption

President,
Since this is the first time I take the floor in this Assembly, I would like to say that I look forward to participate in the work of the Council of Europe and to co-operate with all of you.

I would like to thank Mr Kimmo Sasi for his excellent report on judicial corruption. It is worrying that judicial corruption is deeply embedded in many Council of Europe states. Judicial corruption is a threat to several fundamental human rights, it undermines democracy and the rule of law - the core values of the Council of Europe. Furthermore, judicial corruption reinforces corruption in other public institutions and the private sector. It demoralizes both citizens and authorities. We all face the problems of corruption and we all need to be self critical. I therefore strongly support the report when it encourages member states to establish a framework minimizing the risk of judicial corruption.
Norway has a clear policy on combating corruption at the national and the international level. All forms of corruption are prohibited by Norwegian law. Norway's anti- corruption legislation is among the strictest in the world. The law applies to everyone as well as to corruption committed abroad.

There is a growing awareness and understanding of the damage corruption causes to a society and of its criminal nature. However, a strong legal framework is not enough. We need to take preventive measures. In Norway, there is a general agreement that transparency is one of the key weapons against corruption. I strongly believe in this. Transparency ensures public confidence in the courts and their procedures, and the principle can be seen in many areas: Jobs are to be published, the recruitment process is open, the selection procedures aim to ensure a sound evaluation of the applicant's professional and personal qualities. The Norwegian constitution provides that a judge only can be removed from his/hers position if convicted of a serious offence, thus securing their terms of office and ensuring that their job is not linked to other factors such as appraisal of their decisions. Not least would I like to point to the important issue of the protection of whistle-blowers.

President,
Let me focus on another area where anti-corruption work is high on the agenda, namely in business. A survey conducted by Transparency International Norway and Innovation Norway last year, shows that a large majority of the companies think that corruption is not a relevant risk for the company and that cultural difference fully or partly can justify different practices abroad. This is worrying. We can no longer accept that corruption shall be part of business in any part of the world. The legal framework exists. However, I strongly believe companies need to raise the level of awareness; to make sure that all companies, including medium sized and small companies, introduce code of ethics and that systems for whistle blowers are secured. Transparency about a company's operations is an important power. I would like to highlight a few measures supported by Norwegian authorities. Under the slogan: It pays to say no to corruption, Norwegian authorities have developed a information boocklet, aimed at Norwegian companies operating abroad. The booklet gives information on the legal framework, and the consequences of corruption. It gives concrete advises on how to prevent and handle corruption. Furthermore, Norway among other countries, supports the Business Anti-Corruption Portal. The Portal is to meet the corruption risk management needs of small and medium sized companies doing business in or considering operating in emerging markets and developing countries. The portal is important as such companies often possess fewer resources than larger companies. The Portal is hosted by Global Advice Network.

Thank you for your attention.