EU Anti-Corruption Report

Last updated

The EU Anti-Corruption Report was the European Commission's short-lived anti-corruption reporting mechanism. The report was planned to be published on a bi-annual basis to monitor and assess the efforts of member states of the European Union in tackling corruption. The Anti-Corruption Report was established in June 2011, [1] but discontinued in February 2017, having only ever published one report in 2014. [2]

Contents

Scope and objectives

The non-binding report was activated in 2013 as a monitoring mechanism to identify "failures and vulnerabilities across the 27 EU Member States". [3] Specifically, its stated objectives were: [1]

(a) to periodically assess the situation in the Union regarding the fight against corruption;

(b) to identify trends and best practices;

(c) to make general recommendations for adjusting EU policy on preventing and fighting corruption;

(d) to make tailor-made recommendations;

(e) to help Member States, civil society or other stakeholders identify shortcomings, raise awareness and provide training on anti-corruption.

The monitoring mechanism envisioned engagement with existing European and international initiatives, including the European Council's Group of States Against Corruption (GRECO); the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC); and the OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions. Each Member State had a designated "research correspondent" working on the ground and reporting back to an expert group. [4] The EU also aimed to draw upon the work carried out by existing agencies such as the European Anti-Fraud Office and EUROPOL.

Discontinuation

In February 2017, the Report was discontinued. In an internal letter to the chair of the EU parliament's civil liberty committee, MEP Claude Moraes, Commission vice-president Frans Timmermans argued that the first and only Report published in 2014 had provided the basis for deepened work and consultations as part of the EU's anti-corruption framework. Subsequent reports were therefore not necessary. [5] [6]

See also

Related Research Articles

Transparency International e.V. (TI) is a German registered association founded in 1993 by former employees of the World Bank. Based in Berlin, its nonprofit and non-governmental purpose is to take action to combat global corruption with civil societal anti-corruption measures and to prevent criminal activities arising from corruption. Its most notable publications include the Global Corruption Barometer and the Corruption Perceptions Index. Transparency International serves as an umbrella organization. From 1993 to today, its membership has grown from a few individuals to more than 100 national chapters, which engage in fighting perceived corruption in their home countries. TI is a member of G20 Think Tanks, UNESCO Consultative Status, United Nations Global Compact, Sustainable Development Solutions Network and shares the goals of peace, justice, strong institutions and partnerships of the United Nations Sustainable Development Group (UNSDG). TI is a social partner of Global Alliance in Management Education. TI confirmed the dis-accreditation of the national chapter of United States of America in 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Nations Convention Against Corruption</span> Anti-corruption treaty

The United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) is the only legally binding international anti-corruption multilateral treaty. Negotiated by member states of the United Nations (UN) it has been adopted by the UN General Assembly in October 2003 and entered into force in December 2005. The treaty recognises the importance of both preventive and punitive measures, addresses the cross-border nature of corruption with provisions on international cooperation and on the return of the proceeds of corruption. The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Vienna serves as Secretariat for the UNCAC. UNCAC's goal is to reduce various types of corruption that can occur across country borders, such as trading in influence and abuse of power, as well as corruption in the private sector, such as embezzlement and money laundering. Another goal of the UNCAC is to strengthen international law enforcement and judicial cooperation between countries by providing effective legal mechanisms for international asset recovery.

The OECD Anti-Bribery Convention is an anti-corruption convention of the OECD that requires signatory countries to criminalize bribery of foreign public officials. The convention is a legally binding international agreement that focuses on the supply side of bribery by criminalizing acts of offering or giving bribes to foreign public officials by companies or individuals. Its goal is to create a level playing field in the international business environment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Human rights in North Macedonia</span> Inalienable fundamental rights to which a person in North Macedonia is inherently entitled

North Macedonia is a signatory to the European Convention on Human Rights and the U.N. Geneva Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and Convention against Torture, and the Constitution of North Macedonia guarantees basic human rights to all citizens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Group of States against Corruption</span>

The Group of States against Corruption is the Council of Europe's anti-corruption monitoring body with its headquarters in Strasbourg (France). It was established in 1999 as an enlarged partial agreement by 17 Council of Europe member states.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corruption in Armenia</span> Institutional corruption in the country

Corruption in Armenia has decreased significantly in modern times, but remains an ongoing problem in the country. Despite this, fighting corruption following the 2018 Armenian revolution has recorded significant progress. Armenia is a member of the Council of Europe's Group of States Against Corruption (GRECO) and the OECD's Anti-Corruption Network and Armenia's anti-corruption measures are regularly evaluated within their monitoring mechanisms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International asset recovery</span> Any effort by governments to repatriate the proceeds of corruption hidden in foreign jurisdictions

International asset recovery is any effort by governments to repatriate the proceeds of corruption hidden in foreign jurisdictions. Such assets may include monies in bank accounts, real estate, vehicles, arts and artifacts, and precious metals. As defined under the United Nations Convention against Corruption, asset recovery refers to recovering the proceeds of corruption, rather than broader terms such as asset confiscation or asset forfeiture which refer to recovering the proceeds or instrumentalities of crime in general.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corruption in Russia</span> Institutional corruption in the country

Corruption is perceived as a significant problem in Russia, impacting various aspects of life, including the economy, business, public administration, law enforcement, healthcare, and education. The phenomenon of corruption is strongly established in the historical model of public governance, and attributed to general weakness of rule of law in the country. Transparency International stated in 2022, "Corruption is endemic in Russia" and assigned it the lowest score of any European country in their Corruption Perceptions Index for 2021. It has, under the regime of Vladimir Putin, been variously characterized as a kleptocracy, an oligarchy, and a plutocracy; owing to its crony capitalism economic system.

The Mechanism for Cooperation and Verification (CVM) is a safeguard measure invoked by the European Commission when a new member or acceding state of the European Union has failed to implement commitments undertaken in the context of the accession negotiations in the fields of the Area of freedom, security and justice or internal market policy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corruption in Poland</span> Institutional corruption in the country

Corruption in Poland is below the world average but not insignificant. Within Poland, surveys of Polish citizens reveal that it is perceived to be a major problem.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corruption in Lithuania</span> Institutional corruption in the country

Corruption in Lithuania describes the prevention and occurrence of corruption in Lithuania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corruption in Sweden</span> Institutional corruption in the country

Corruption in Sweden has been defined as "the abuse of power" by Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention (Brå). By receiving bribes, bribe takers abuse their position of power, which is consistent with how the National Anti-Corruption Unit of the Swedish Prosecution Authority specifies the term. Although bribes and improper rewards are central in the definition of corruption in Sweden, corruption in the sense of "abuse of power" can also manifest itself in other crimes such as misuse of office, embezzlement, fraud and breach of trust against a principal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corruption in Switzerland</span> Institutional corruption in the country

Corruption in Switzerland describes the prevention and occurrence of corruption in Switzerland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corruption in Latvia</span> Institutional corruption in the country

Corruption in Latvia is examined on this page.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corruption in Georgia</span> Institutional corruption in the country

Corruption in Georgia had been an issue in the post-Soviet decades. Before the 2003 Rose Revolution, according to Foreign Policy, Georgia was among the most corrupt nations in Eurasia. The level of corruption abated dramatically, however, after the revolution. In 2010, Transparency International (TI) said that Georgia was "the best corruption-buster in the world." While low-level corruption had earlier been largely eliminated, Transparency International Georgia since 2020 has also documented dozens of cases of high-level corruption that remain to be prosecuted.

ISO 37001Anti-bribery management systems - Requirements with guidance for use, is a management system standard published by International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in 2016. As the title suggests, this standard sets out the requirements for the establishment, implementation, operation, maintenance, and continual improvement of an anti-bribery management system (ABMS). It also provides guidance on the actions and approaches organizations can take to adhere to the requirements of this standard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corruption in Turkmenistan</span> Institutional corruption in the country

Corruption in Turkmenistan is considered by many independent sources as a serious problem. The country is near the bottom of several annual indices that measure corruption, including The Wall Street Journal's Index of Economic Freedom.

Anti-corruption comprises activities that oppose or inhibit corruption. Just as corruption takes many forms, anti-corruption efforts vary in scope and in strategy. A general distinction between preventive and reactive measures is sometimes drawn. In such framework, investigative authorities and their attempts to unveil corrupt practices would be considered reactive, while education on the negative impact of corruption, or firm-internal compliance programs are classified as the former.

Mark Pieth is Professor of Criminal Law at the University of Basel, Switzerland and a prominent anti-corruption expert.

Maritime anti-corruption initiatives have emerged in the last decades as a response to the growing threat of transnational corruption in the maritime domain, specifically in the shipping industry which is responsible for around 90% of world trade. In the past, paying bribes at ports to pass through customs was perceived as normal behavior, but such activities resulting in higher operational costs lead to increasingly stricter national and international anti-corruption regulations being put in place.

References

  1. 1 2 "Establishing an EU Anti-corruption reporting mechanism for periodic assessment ("EU Anti-corruption Report")" (PDF). European Commission. 6 June 2011.
  2. ↑ "Commission 'quietly shelves' corruption report". EURACTIV.com. 2 February 2017. Retrieved 22 November 2017.
  3. ↑ European Commission – Press Release, “Commission fights corruption: a stronger commitment for greater results", 6 June 2011
  4. ↑ Michael Kubiciel (Expert Germany) – Der EU Anti Corruption Report , Law Review Article (in German)
  5. ↑ "Timmermans letter" (PDF). Transparency International EU.
  6. ↑ "EU commission drops anti-corruption report" . Retrieved 22 November 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.