International newsletter of the HATVP – January-February 2025
January and February were marked by the adoption by the Council of Europe’s Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) of four evaluation and compliance reports for Bulgaria, Poland, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Ukraine.
In February, Transparency International published its Corruption Perceptions Index for 2024. France lost five places in the global ranking, falling to 25th position, which places it below the average for countries categorized as fully democratic.
EUROPEAN UNION (EU)
In an opinion adopted on 29 January 2025, the Committee on Constitutional Affairs (AFCO) highlighted several concerns regarding the establishment of the European Ethics body responsible for ensuring compliance with ethical rules within the European institutions. The opinion regrets that the placement of the secretariat of the European Ethics body at the Commission and considers that the body should not start its work or receive funding from Parliament until all provisions of the agreement have been incorporated into Parliament’s internal rules. AFCO is tasked with establishing a timetable for changing Parliament’s Rules of Procedure and facilitating the entry into force of the European Ethics body. (European Parliament, 29 January 2025)
On 4 February 2025, Nathalie Loiseau, a French member of the European parliament (MEP) from the Renew Europe group, was elected chair of the special committee on the European Democracy Shield. The MEPs who are members of this committee are tasked with analysing existing European Union legislation to combat “malicious interference” in democratic processes, particularly elections. By the end of their mandate, they must propose solutions to strengthen the existing legal framework. (Toute l’Europe, 4 February 2025)
On 10 January 2025, the European Ombudsman published the results of the investigation into how the European Commission deals with public or private persons including third countries paying for work travel and hospitality for its staff members and assesses potential conflicts of interest. It is clear from the statistical information on work travel that took place in the years 2021, 2022 and 2023 that a number of trips, including those at the highest levels of the Commission’s management, involved contributions of third countries and private sector interests. The European Ombudsman concludes that there are shortcomings in the Commission’s implementation of its previous rules on work travel, including its failure to record how it assessed the risks of conflicts of interest related to third-party contributions. The European Ombudsman also regrets that the Council has also failed to record the value of third-party contributions. (European Ombudsman, 10 January 2025)
INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS
The Council of Europe’s Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) published on 15 January 2025 a compliance report for Poland in the context of its recommendations to prevent corruption in respect of parliamentarians, judges and prosecutors, as well as recommendations on judicial reforms carried out in the period 2016-2018. GRECO regrets the very low level of implementation of its recommendations (8 out of 22). However, GRECO welcomes the steps taken by the authorities to restore the independence of the National Council of the Judiciary. As regards prosecutors, a commission has been set up to assist the National Council of Public Prosecutions in ensuring compliance with the ethical principles applicable to prosecutors. GRECO calls for the integrity framework to be complemented by specialised advice on ethics and by a more thorough review of the declarations of assets of prosecutors, which are still lacking. GRECO regrets that the country has made no progress in implementing the recommendations relating to parliamentarians since the adoption of GRECO’s last monitoring report in 2023 (the advice to parliamentarians on conflicts of interest, acceptance of gifts and benefits and declarations of assets). (Council of Europe, 15 January 2025)
GRECO published on 6 February 2025 its 5th round compliance report for Bulgaria on preventing corruption and promoting integrity in central government (top executive functions) and law enforcement agencies. GRECO concludes that Bulgaria has fully implemented 7 out of 28 recommendations. With regards to top executive functions, GRECO welcomes the ongoing extensive reforms in legislation and policies, including the functioning of the National Anti-Corruption Council and the election of members of the Anti-Corruption Commission. The creation of a methodology for analysing corruption risks in central government and a draft code of conduct for persons holding public office are also under preparation. GRECO regrets that rules on incompatibilities and oversight have not yet been put in place for advisers of persons entrusted with top executive functions. Furthermore, new legislation on lobbying is at an early stage of preparation. Regarding law enforcement, GRECO welcomes the progress in implementing its recommendations. The adoption of a law in 2023 on whistleblower protection is a positive step forward. (Council of Europe, 6 February 2025)
GRECO published on 14 February 2025 its 5th round evaluation report for Bosnia and Herzegovina on preventing corruption and promoting integrity in central government (top executive functions) and law enforcement. Only 2 out of the 25 recommendations set out in the evaluation report have been implemented by the country. Regarding top executive functions, GRECO notes overall progress with the adoption in June 2024 of the Strategy for the Fight against Corruption 2024-2028, along with the Action Plan for Implementation. However, many shortcomings remain. GRECO regrets the non-functioning of the Commission for the Examination of Conflicts of Interest. Regarding the new law on freedom of access to information adopted in August 2023, GRECO stresses that some provisions of this law were found not in line with standards of the Council of Europe Convention on access to official documents and need to be revised. Regarding law enforcement agencies, GRECO regrets that the National Investigation and Protection Agency has so far failed to achieve any tangible results. Finally, GRECO recommends to improve significantly the whistleblower protection framework. (Council of Europe, 14 February 2025)
GRECO published on 20 February 2025 the addendum to the second compliance report for the 4th round evaluation for Ukraine on preventing corruption in respect of members of parliament, judges and prosecutors. The country has implemented 18 out of the 31 recommendations satisfactorily. GRECO notes that progress has been made in implementing its recommendations, in particular regarding the effective monitoring of financial reporting requirements, the rules governing relations between parliamentarians and lobbyists, and the simplification of the procedure for appointing judges and members of related bodies. The remaining recommendations to be implemented concern the prosecution service: establishing a system of random allocation of cases for all prosecutors, defining more precisely disciplinary offences relating to prosecutors’ conduct and their compliance with ethical standards, and broadening the types of disciplinary sanctions available to make them more proportionate to the gravity of the offences and more effective. (Council of Europe, 20 February 2025)
A GRECO delegation visited Slovakia on 18 and 19 February 2025 to conduct an urgent ad hoc evaluation of recent criminal law reforms resulting in amendments to the Criminal Code, the suppression of the Specialised Prosecutor’s Office and the restructuring of the National Crime Agency from the perspective of the fight against corruption and the Slovak Republic’s compliance with the Council of Europe’s anti-corruption standards. (Council of Europe, 21 February 2025)
GEOGRAPHICAL AREAS
On 11 February 2025, the non-governmental organisation Transparency International published the Corruption Perceptions Index for 2024. France fell five places in the global ranking, falling to 25th position, ten places behind Germany, to reach a score of 67. This drop, unprecedented since the creation of the index in 1995, highlights structural flaws in the fight against corruption, aggravated by recent scandals and a loss of confidence in democratic institutions. This new score places France below the average of countries categorized as fully democratic (average score of 73) as well as that of states that have an open civic space (average score of 70). Transparency International calls on the French government to undertake immediate structural reforms. (Transparency International, 11 February 2025)
ROMANIA
On 10 February 2025, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis announced his resignation two months after the presidential election was cancelled due to allegations of Russian interference. He was supposed to leave office at the end of 2024, but the first round of the presidential election, won on 24 November 2024 to the general surprise by the far-right candidate Calin Georgescu, was annulled by the Romanian courts due to irregularities. The 65-year-old liberal and pro-European head of state then decided to remain in office until the election of his successor, scheduled for May. The President of the Senate and leader of the liberals, Ilie Bolojan, should in principle ensure the interim until the new election. (Le Monde, 10 February 2025)
SERBIA
On 28 January 2025, Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić resigned following the student protest movement denouncing corruption in the country. The movement started with the collapse of the Novi Sad train station canopy on 1 November 2024, causing the death of 15 people. For the students, this accident is a direct consequence of the endemic corruption observable in Serbia, while the station had just been renovated under the supervision of a Chinese company. (Le Monde, 28 January 2025)
On 10 February 2025, an executive order from U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the Justice Department to suspend investigations into bribes paid by companies to secure foreign contracts. Sanctions under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) of 1977 will not apply for at least six months, and ongoing litigation will be reviewed in light of new government priorities. The new Attorney General, Pam Bondi, has been tasked with rethinking how to apply the FCPA to “prioritize American interests, American economic competitiveness relative to other nations, and the efficient use of judicial resources.” (Les Echos, 13 February 2025)