Log in/out

Our extensive knowledge at your fingertips

Bribery & Corruption

Europe

This section includes initiatives by Basel, Council of Europe, EPAC, European Commission, GRECO, Transparency International EU among others.

Basel Institute on Governance
Council of Europe
European Anti- Fraud Office (OLAF)
European Commission
European Partners against Corruption (EPAC)
EU Anti-Corruption Report
GOPAC-Europe
Group of States against Corruption (GRECO)
Resource Center of Regional Anti-Corruption Initiative for South East Europe
Transparency International EU

And many more…

 

Sections

Latest editions

Search

U

OECD praises Norway’s business conduct watchdog as credible and effective, but warns that rising caseloads and limited resources risk weakening its impact

April 27, 2026

The review highlights strong stakeholder confidence in the NCP’s independence, expertise, transparency, and mediation role, including in complex cases involving Norwegian companies and state-owned enterprises. OECD also recommends clearer legal foundations, improved coordination across government, stronger links to responsible business conduct policymaking, and faster handling of cases to support long-term effectiveness…

Council of the EU adopts a new EU-wide law to combat corruption, harmonising offence definitions and setting common minimum standards for penalties and enforcement across Member States

April 24, 2026

The law establishes a common framework by harmonising definitions of corruption offences—including bribery in the public and private sectors, misappropriation, trading in influence and obstruction of justice—and setting minimum standards for penalties, including prison terms and corporate fines. It also strengthens prevention and enforcement by improving investigative tools, extending liability to companies and enhancing cross-border cooperation, replacing older EU instruments and requiring…

TI’s report ‘Whistleblower Protection in EU Enlargement Countries’ finds that, despite progress, most countries still lag behind EU standards due to weak enforcement and inadequate safeguards

April 23, 2026

The report reviews candidate and potential candidate countries and finds that, although several have adopted legislation aligned with the EU Whistleblower Protection Directive, compliance is incomplete, with weaknesses such as restrictive protection conditions, limited reporting channels and insufficient penalties for retaliation. It also highlights broader systemic issues including inconsistent treatment of anonymous reporting, weak data collection and transparency, and limited implementation capacity, calling for stronger reforms and support…

TI’s report, How Effective is Whistleblower Protection in the EU?, reveals that weak safeguards and uneven enforcement continue to leave whistleblowers exposed and deter reporting

April 16, 2026

The report assesses implementation of the EU Whistleblower Protection Directive across Member States and finds that while most countries have introduced legislation, 19 of 20 reviewed jurisdictions fail to comply fully with core requirements, particularly on reporting rights, remedies, advice and sanctions for retaliation. It also highlights persistent gaps such as limited scope of protected disclosures, weak enforcement mechanisms, lack of anonymous reporting and insufficient legal and financial support, concluding that stronger laws…

EP greenlights new EU Anti-Corruption rules, establishing the first EU-wide criminal law framework that harmonises key offences, reinforces sanctions, cross-border enforcement, and transparency

April 10, 2026

It introduces a single EU-wide definition of corruption offences from bribery and misappropriation to illicit enrichment and concealment—alongside tougher enforcement with minimum prison terms and corporate fines of up to 5% of global turnover or €40M. It also mandates national anti-corruption strategies, risk assessments, and independent oversight, requires annual reporting to enable data-driven enforcement, and strengthens coordination between EU bodies to accelerate cross-border…

GRECO’s Estonia Local Integrity Report exposes uneven anti-corruption standards across municipalities, flagging weak transparency, conflict-of-interest controls, and inconsistent enforcement

April 10, 2026

The report finds that while Estonia has established a generally solid integrity framework, significant gaps remain at the local government level, particularly in managing conflicts of interest, ensuring transparency, and strengthening enforcement of ethical standards. The report highlights inconsistencies in implementation across municipalities and calls for stronger oversight, clearer rules, and more effective monitoring to ensure integrity measures are applied consistently and effectively at the local level…

GRECO’s 5th Compliance Report on Moldova notes limited progress in strengthening integrity and anti-corruption systems, with key gaps in transparency, conflict-of-interest controls, and enforcement

April 8, 2026

The report concludes that Moldova has satisfactorily implemented only 7 of 25 recommendations, with persistent gaps in areas such as integrity checks for senior officials, conflict-of-interest management, transparency of advisers and effective supervision within law-enforcement bodies. GRECO highlights a broader issue of weak implementation in practice, noting that legal frameworks and reforms exist but are not consistently enforced, and calls for further progress within 18 months to strengthen oversight, accountability…

GRECO’s 102nd Plenary Meeting pushes for stronger anti-corruption action, advancing transparency, faster evaluations, and greater pressure on member states to implement reforms

March 27, 2026

The decisions introduce a standardised publication approach, requiring public summaries of evaluation and compliance reports within six months where full publication is delayed, alongside renewed calls for countries to release full reports promptly to enhance accountability and visibility. GRECO also intensifies follow-up procedures, including stricter timelines and escalation measures for non-compliant states, reinforcing its monitoring framework to ensure that recommendations translate into concrete legislative…

TI’s blog “When Power is on Trial” examines former President Sarkozy’s 2025 corruption and illegal campaign financing appeal as a pivotal test of judicial independence and accountability for the powerful

March 12, 2026

Convicted of criminal conspiracy for allegedly securing illegal funding from Libya for his 2007 presidential campaign, Sarkozy has appealed the ruling, which also dismissed certain corruption and campaign finance charges. TI France, acting as a civil party, is challenging these dismissals and advocating for stronger political finance rules. The case exposes the challenges of investigating complex financial crimes, including nearly two decades of delays, gaps in resources, weak deterrence, and declining public trust. Attacks on judges by Sarkozy and his supporters illustrate how political pressure…

EU Commission launches “TraceMap”, a new AI-powered platform to strengthen EU food-safety monitoring and detect fraud across agri-food supply chains

March 10, 2026

The platform integrates data from systems such as the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) and TRACES to identify links between operators and consignments, enabling authorities to better track products, detect contamination and uncover food-fraud risks across the EU. By improving data analysis and cross-border visibility, TraceMap supports faster recalls, enhanced control of imports and more effective enforcement action against fraud and safety breaches within the EU food system.

Peer-reviewed study in Trends in Organized Crime argues that corruption evolves over time as enforcement, legal reforms and shifting actors reshape the structure and behaviour of corruption networks

February 28, 2026

Using qualitative network and document analysis of corruption cases in Italy at two different points in time, the research shows that changes in the effectiveness of the criminal-justice system, governance reforms and the roles of key actors can alter how corruption schemes are organised and sustained. The authors propose a conceptual framework viewing corruption as a dynamic network phenomenon, where relationships between public officials, intermediaries and private actors adapt to institutional pressures, meaning anti-corruption policies can unintentionally transform—rather than eliminate—the ways corrupt networks operate.

European Court of Auditors in a report warns the €650B Recovery and Resilience Facility remains vulnerable to fraud, calling for stronger controls and clearer rules to safeguard EU funds

February 28, 2026

The audit finds that the RRF’s performance-based funding model, which releases payments when Member States meet milestones and targets rather than reimbursing actual project costs, limits the EU’s ability to detect and prevent fraud affecting the €650-billion post-pandemic recovery instrument. ECA recommends clearer guidance on fraud reporting, stronger national anti-fraud frameworks and improved coordination between Member States, the European Commission, the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) and the European Public…

No results found.