While corruption results in serious problems in numerous spheres of Hungarian economic and political life (party and campaign financing, public procurement procedures, health system, etc.), we do not have a comprehensive anti-corruption organization that could monitor the daily political and economic processes and could influence them via its proposals. In order to remedy the above situation in May 2006 a volunteer work group was set up, becoming Transparency International's official contact partner in Hungary in August 2006.

Government, business actors, policy-makers and the general public condemn corruption, and reject all attempts of bribery. As a result of a corruption-free public life, public funds are used in a transparent way, government funding systems are comprehensible. Public information is available and easily accessible. Representations of interests (advocacy, lobbying) operate in a well-regulated environment in a transparent way.

Our Core Values:

Transparency, accountability, professionalism, integrity, solidarity, courage, fair attitude, democracy, legality, independence, cooperation.

Guiding Principles:

·    Transparency International is an independent civil society organization committed to work cooperatively with the widest range of governmental, profit and not for profit corporations and organizations.
·    We undertake to be open, honest and responsible in our relationships with everyone we work with and with each other.
·    We are democratic, politically independent and non-partial in our work.
·    We definitely condemn corruption wherever it has been reliably evidenced, although we ourselves do not investigate individual cases of corruption.
·    The positions we take are based on sound, objective and professional analysis and high standards of research.
·    We only accept funding that does not compromise our ability to address issues freely, thoroughly and objectively.
·    We provide accurate and timely reports of our activities to our stakeholders.
·    We do respect fundamental human rights and freedoms.
·    We are committed to cooperating with national chapters world wide.
·    We strive for balanced representation in the Government.

Our activity types:

Enforcing interest of public weal (adopting legal regulations, etc.)

During the decision making processes (and while adopting legal regulations) in the public sphere decision makers do not always take all the stakeholders’ interest into consideration, they regularly miss to contemplate further solution alternatives, resulting in the phenomenon that the reached decision will at the end serve the interest of only one particular interest group, or even may conflict other legal regulations or international obligations. Transparency International aims at helping to enforce the objectives and core values it has laid down in its Charter via providing public decision makers with its opinion and possible solution alternatives on the topics at issue.

Raising public awareness

Fighting corruption does not end with fighting for altering and improving the existing wrong mechanisms and malpractice, as no system, regardless of how carefully elaborated it has been, will keep operating properly if those applying the very system do not consider it important to act in the spirit of fair play in issues of their public and private interest. Transparency International aims at bringing corruption phenomena in front of both the more general and the professional public in order to analyze those corruption cases arguing why to change the existing malpractice, highlighting what exactly the individual and the particular community will benefit from moving from corruption towards transparency.
 
Monitoring

Transparency International aims at grounding its activity (raising public awareness, enforcing interest of public weal) on practical experience, which TI gains from monitoring compliance with legal and other norms on the preset fields and intervals having described in its methodology.

Research, analysis

Practical experience may solely turn into solution alternatives provided that it undergoes the necessary analysis, for which analysis prior research work as well as common international practice and standards connected to the particular field will provide invaluable help.

Training

While the above listed activity types of Transparency International involve stakeholders in the present, training activity puts emphasis on professionals and the general public of the future.
Our team delivers lectures to students at universities, colleges and other events, participates in legal clinic programs as well as extensively relies on the activity of volunteers and interns in its daily operation.