Government approves reform of parties financing

The Czech government on Wednesday approved legislation reforming the financing of political parties. The bill will require parties to establish transparent bank accounts accessible on the web; they will also have to release their annual accounts and details of campaign finances. However, the bill does not establish an independent body that would monitor parties’ finances; its absence has been criticized by the Council of Europe’s anti-corruption agency. The new legislation will now be debated by the Czech Parliament.