European Parliament and new anti-corruption law
As a counterpart to the very serious corruption accusations which occurred at the end of last week, a more positive news item has emerged from the European parliament which includes the establishment of a harmonized and enforceable EU-wide framework to prevent, detect, and punish corruption. Politico EU reports that this legislation is essentially the bar minimum, “[t]he final text of the law is watered down from the European Commission’s initial proposal, put forward in May 2023, and from the European Parliament’s ambitions. It includes much-reduced minimum penalties, many optional clauses, and wording that leaves ample room for countries to forge their own interpretations.”
The question then is why should we care and what can be done to address these issues. This law, even though it is clearly weak, took two years to pass, so this to some degree is a good start. There was push back regarding recognition and punishment of “abuse of office” offenses by public officials, as well as the need to establish independent anti-corruption authorities. Yet, there is a requirement for all the countries to implement the law within two years and a further year to present their national anti-corruption plans to the Commission. Additionally, there is a more positive view as there are now common definitions which will facilitate cross-border cooperation and will include new reporting requirements for EU countries to the Commission. On balance, this law is a good start in bringing all the EU countries to conformity, but as noted, there is still significant room for improvement and all media in all the member countries should continue to keep the EU accountable, as they keep their beneficiaries accountable. It would be good to see the EU leading rather than being dragged to better anti-corruption practices kicking and screaming.
Link:
https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-anti-corruption-law-negotiations-italy-giorgia-meloni/
https://www.eppgroup.eu/newsroom/agreement-on-new-anti-corruption-law-close-loopholes-end-impunity
https://europeannewsroom.com/eu-agrees-on-common-anti-corruption-laws/