In its Annual Report 2024, published on Thursday 5 June, the Council of Europe’s Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) expresses “serious concern about persistent threats to judicial independence in some Member States” and urges the strengthening of structures ensuring the separation of powers.
The report also points out that recent developments show the need to improve the mechanisms guaranteeing the transparency of political financing and to update the anti-corruption standards for party and election campaign financing.
Legislative reforms to close the loopholes in the transparency of political financing are therefore imperative.
“The global fight against corruption stands at a critical juncture”, said GRECO President David Meyer.
“While significant progress has been made in strengthening anti-corruption frameworks, persistent and evolving challenges remain, particularly in enforcement, transparency and ongoing threats to judicial independence. Addressing these challenges requires renewed urgency and sustained political will at the national level.
It also points to elections in several Member States which “have raised integrity concerns, including allegations of undue influence, irregular financing and foreign interference, emphasising the need to safeguard democratic processes through effective anti-corruption frameworks”.
Link to the GRECO 2024 report: https://aeur.eu/f/h6n (Original version in French by Véronique Leblanc)