Fighting Pro-Russia Disinformation in the Western Balkans Requires Beneficial Ownership Transparency
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has highlighted the threat of pro-Russian disinformation in media markets throughout Europe and Eurasia. Some Western Balkan countries like Montenegro have responded to this danger by banning Russian media outlets outright. But these kinds of policies will not be effective without greater media ownership transparency. Media ownership transparency would expose the… Read More
One of the more challenging – and promising – lines of work that CIPE’s Anti-Corruption & Governance Center has developed in recent years involves scanning the world for signs of a government that has sincerely embraced anti-corruption reforms. Sometimes it is hard to tell what is real and what is not. Newly ensconced leaders’… Read More
Over the past few years, beneficial ownership transparency policies have gained traction around the world. As of 2018, 18 countries had announced commitments to implementing beneficial ownership transparency policies. They include France, Italy, and the United Kingdom. This rapid increase begs a few questions: what is beneficial ownership transparency, what do beneficial ownership transparency policies… Read More
Open Ownership, an organization dedicated to increasing corporate transparency, has recently released a guide that serves as a useful explainer of beneficial ownership transparency policies. Beneficial ownership transparency means that legal entities (such as companies) must disclose information about the people who ultimately own, fund, and/or control them. Anonymous “shell” companies can play a significant… Read More