Statement by Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson, on the International Anti-Corruption Day

Last year we committed to step up the fight against corruption with endurance and determination. Following President von der Leyen’s call for decisive action against corruption in the 2022 State of the Union address, in May 2023, we proposed to revamp the EU anti-corruption legislation.

Corruption is highly damaging to society, to our democracies, to the economy and to individuals. It acts as an enabler for organised crime. Organised crime leads to increased violence and instability, which disrupts the safety and security of our neighbourhoods. Through money laundering and corruption, criminal networks infiltrate legitimate businesses and erode trust in our institutions.

With the legal proposals on anti-corruption adopted on 3 May 2023, the European Commission placed a strong focus on prevention and creating a culture of integrity, in which corruption is not tolerated. We put forward strengthened rules criminalising corruption offences and harmonised penalties across the EU. Our proposal also included the creation of the EU Network against Corruption, which met for the first time in September 2023. The Network is a forum for all key stakeholders in the EU to exchange good practices, opportunities, ideas and plans for further work on anti-corruption measures. 

Through its annual Rule of Law reports, the Commission also monitors anti-corruption developments at national level, identifies challenges and issues recommendations to Member States. The annual rule of law monitoring will be expanded to include those accession countries who get up to speed even faster.

Finally, we keep working with our international partners to fight corruption on a global scale. This also the case in the  Conference of State Parties  to the UN Convention against Corruption, which will take place between 11-15 December.