On 8 March 2018, GRECO published its fifth round evaluation report on Slovenia, the first country to have been the subject of a report in the new monitoring round. This evaluation round looks at measures that states have put in place to prevent and combat corruption in top executive functions and law enforcement agencies. With regard to these functions, GRECO looks into issues such as conflicts of interest, the revolving door phenomenon between different sectors, the declaration of assets, and accountability mechanisms (see eucrim 2/2017, p. 76.). Regarding Slovenia, the evaluation report calls for proactive prevention of conflicts of interest, greater transparency, and more resources to the national anti-corruption body. Among the positive developments, the report notes the balanced gender representation in the Slovenian government. In GRECO’s first ever gender-based recommendation, however, the report calls for the recruitment and integration of women at all levels of the police to reflect the composition of the population.

On a more general note, GRECO welcomed Slovenia’s well-developed anti-corruption legal framework and the fact that ministers do not enjoy immunity in criminal and administrative proceedings. It remains concerned, however, about the wide gap between the legislation and its implementation in practice and about the fact that the assets declarations of top officials are neither published nor properly scrutinized. GRECO calls on the government to be more proactive in preventing and managing conflicts of interest involving ministers and cabinet members, e.g., by ensuring timely publication of their asset declarations and widening their scope to include dependent family members. For more effective implementation, the report calls for a better legal basis to be given to the Commission for the Prevention of Corruption in order to be able to check the assets of ministers’ family members.

GRECO praised the Slovenian police for steps taken over the years to prevent corruption within its ranks, which have led to an increased level of public trust. The police now have in place a comprehensive anticorruption infrastructure, operational internal checks, and a public complaints system. GRECO calls for additional improvements in the refinement of risk management tools, the control of secondary employment, and the protection of whistle-blowers.