Press releases - First EU integrity report highlights risks of corruption in European institutions
Press releases - First EU integrity report highlights risks of corruption in European institutions
EU institutions are vulnerable to corruption due to loopholes and
poor enforcement of rules on ethics, transparency and financial control,
according to a report published today by the anti-corruption group
Transparency International.
This is one of the main findings in the first-ever assessment of
corruption risks across 10 EU institutions. The EU Integrity System
report comes ahead of the 2014 EU elections at a time when the EU has
been dogged by perceptions of corruption, with a recent survey showing
that
“The EU institutions have done a lot to put their house in order
in recent years but strong foundations are being undermined by complex
rules, complacency, and a lack of follow up,” said Carl Dolan, Director of the Transparency International EU Office.
Contrary to popular perception, the Transparency International report highlights a range of rules and practices that support high
standards of public service and accountability within the EU's bodies.
These include channels to investigate suspected fraud or
maladministration, the ability of the public to access documents held by
EU institutions, or to request judicial review of decisions affecting
them.
Nonetheless, major flaws in the system can still be seen, such as in
the absence of mandatory lobbying rules at the EU level, and the growing
trend of EU institutions to negotiate laws behind closed doors. When it
comes to ensuring senior decision-makers comply with ethics rules, such
as ‘cooling-off’ periods when they leave office, self-regulation,
rather than independent monitoring, is the norm.
Transparency International
