Article European Law | 22/02/23 | 1 min. |
On February 15th, the European Commission published a document titled Handbook of good practices in the fight against corruption, which maps a variety of good anti-corruption practices in Member States. These are either established practices that have proved useful, or innovative practices that are likely to lead to new tools to fight against recent or age-old problems.
In addition, a proposal for a directive on combatting corruption through criminal law is under preparation following a public consultation period. In the Commission’s view, the current EU legal framework on corruption is outdated and incomplete. The Commission wants to update the EU’s rules, in particular by incorporating binding international standards such as the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC).
The Commission’s stated aim is to ensure that all forms of corruption are criminalized in all EU Member States, that legal persons can be held responsible for such offenses, and that these offenses incur effective, proportionate and dissuasive penalties.
The proposal will also include measures to prevent corruption and facilitate cross-border cooperation, as required by the UNCAC.