Good Governance Fund

Project Description:

PMCG, in cooperation with PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP UK (PwC) (lead), Lucid Linx (BiH), Expert Group (Moldova) and The European Policy Centre (CEP) (Serbia), will support a series of governance and economic reform initiatives in Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Serbia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Specific areas that the project will support include:

• Anti-corruption measures;
• Improving the business environment;
• Judicial reform, key sector reforms (e.g. banking and energy);
• Strengthening the rule of law and supporting an independent media.

These interventions will support states to become more resilient to external and internal shocks, both political and economic, and support further poverty reduction, growth and stability.

PMCG will provide flexible technical assistance to support the creation of open societies and open economies in the target countries, through:

• Improvements to the business climate, reform of tax systems and the reduction of red tape to generate foreign investment and help private sector entrepreneurs to drive exports;
• Anti-corruption measures to help improve transparency and encourage effective public financial management;
• Modernisation of key sectors such as energy and banking;
• Reform of justice systems, including policing, to strengthen the rule of law and democratic accountability;
• Strengthening independent media to encourage balanced and accurate news and public affairs reporting and strategic communications to promote public awareness of and support for reform.

This initiative complements the UK’s broader objectives to support a prosperous and stable region in the European neighbourhood. Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine have signed Association Agreements (AAs) and Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreements (DCFTAs) with the EU which has committed to support the implementation of reforms. The GGF complements this support. Serbia opened accession negotiations with the EU in 2014 while Bosnia and Herzegovina is a potential candidate for EU accession.

PMCG, along with consortium members, will provide the following services:

• Facilitate establishment of new anti-corruption bodies;
• Provide technical assistance (TA) to support reform of the National Bank of Ukraine;
• Raise public awareness of reform issues and hold government to account;
• Enable improvement of caseload management, public awareness of role of prosecutors, and curriculum development in the National Institute of Judges;
• Provide consultations and advice to anti-corruption/financial crime agencies;
• Build public awareness of governance and economic reforms;
• Launch pilot projects on civil service reform and advise on legislation devolving powers to local authorities;
• Develop e-commerce systems and agribusiness management skills;
• Improve government communications;
• Provide TA to improve application of reform legislation;
• Provide TA to improve global “Doing Business” ranking;
• Provide Ta in civil society capacity building;
• Advise on improving public service performance;
• Advise on energy sector reform;
• Build public awareness of governance and economic reforms as well as civil society capacity building.