A Comparative Study of Automated Asset Declaration Systems in Selected European Countries

Abstract

Senior public officials are required to periodically declare their assets to the national anti-corruption agency that manages and verifies the assets. Each anti-corruption agency currently has its own asset declaration system to identify any unusual asset growth or unjustified enrichment. Although most of these systems have digitized their declaration and submission processes, the preliminary control and full verification still require manual intervention. Our study analyzes and compares asset declaration systems of nine European countries, including four from the Western Balkans and five from other regions. We present a comparative analysis of their asset declaration processes, key features of the declaration form for full verification of declared assets, and indicators for identifying suspicious senior public officials' declarations. The study aims to identify key processes of asset declaration systems that can be automated for more effective decision-making, resulting in a more transparent and accountable system for public officials' asset declaration and management.