European Commission President's remarks about Kyrgyz project Taza Koom

"Dear participants,

I am sending you my encouragements and best wishes for the Taza Koom conference from Brussels.

I regret not being able to participate in it myself but the representation of the EU will be in able hands, in particular of those of the EU Special Representative for Central Asia, Mr Peter Burian and the EU Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan, Mr Cesare de Montis.

Taza Koom is an innovative and promising initiative by the President of the Kyrgyz Republic, a country that has chosen the democratic path and the full involvement of civil society.

It is an initiative that is implemented via the efforts of representatives of civil society, government agencies and of private businesses. It is a project to build a state that serves its citizens, improves public services and creates better conditions for business. If successful, the implementation of Taza Koom will lead to greater transparency in the state administration system and will become a powerful tool for preventing corruption. It is a very ambitious plan with many positive features.

Switching to a technology-based, publically accessible governance system has the potential to greatly increase the transparency and accountability of the public authorities, especially if civil society organisations are encouraged to play a greater role in oversight of the government. Digitisation of business processes can also increase competition and reduce transaction costs, particularly for the micro, small and medium-sized enterprises.

Several EU Member States have taken significant steps in this direction, and will surely be willing to share their experiences and conclusions about best practices. The European Union is ready to consider providing support in the implementation of this promising initiative.

I wish you an interesting and successful conference.

Jean-Claude Juncker"