Brussels, 09/12/2010 (Agence Europe) - 73% of Europeans believe that there has been a rise in corruption, according to the latest Transparency International report. “The figures and perceptions of Europeans on corruption are not encouraging”, said a concerned European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek, speaking on International Anti-Corruption Day on 9 December. Home Affairs Commissioner Cecilia Malmström promised a set of tools to improve Europe's ability to fight crime for next year. “We must take our responsibility to boost anti-corruption policies in the member states”, she said. Her proposal will include an updating of the EU anti-corruption policy, with a follow-up on member states use of the existing regulations and a European reporting mechanism to target and tackle the blind spots in the work already carried out by the member states. Drago Kos, President of the Council of Europe's Group of States against Corruption (GRECO), has called for further cooperation between his body and the EU to tackle corruption. He also said he hoped that the EU would soon join GRECO, a move that has been made possible by the Lisbon Treaty. (B.C./transl.rt)