EU Statement on Agenda item 2: Review of the implementation of the United Nations Convention against Corruption

EU Statement on Agenda item 2: Review of the implementation of the United Nations Convention against Corruption

11^th Session of the Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption, Doha, 15-19 December 2025

Distinguished President, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, dear colleagues,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member States. Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Republic of Moldova, Serbia, United Kingdom and Ukraine align themselves with this statement.

This 11^th Conference has a particular responsibility in that it will decide on the future of the Implementation Review Mechanism of the Convention. The European Union and its Member States believe that the IRM is essential to ensure the effective implementation of our obligations under the Convention. And over the past 15 years, it has contributed to shaping change and supported structural domestic reforms against corruption.

Before coming to our common objectives for the future of the IRM and its second phase, I am happy to announce that the European Union has completed the executive summary of its first cycle review and is looking forward to also initiate its second cycle review.

Within the limits of the EU's competence and the specificities of our institutional framework, the review highlights our commitment against corruption and the actions taken at EU-level to criminalise corrupt behaviour and ensure international cooperation under UNCAC. Our review also identifies challenges in implementation, where the European Union could strengthen its implementation of the Convention.

True to our belief that civil society at large has an important role to play in the fight against corruption and specifically in peer reviews, and in line with good practice, we have ensured that the reviewers could consult and engage with them, independently.

I would like to thank the reviewers, Niue and Czechia, as well as the UNODC Secretariat for the good cooperation throughout the entire process. We are looking forward to the final step that means the publication of the full report.

President,

Fifteen years have passed since the launch of the first cycle of the Implementation Review Mechanism, in CoSP3 in Qatar. We would like to thank the host country, Qatar, for reaffirming its commitment to the UNCAC, by undertaking once again, this time by bringing together 192 States Parties, the design and launch of a new phase of the Mechanism.

An important and rich discussion has taken place in the Implementation Review Group over the last two years, in which the EU and its Member States have actively engaged. They have put forward several concrete proposals for this Conference to consider, based on the experience of the two review cycles and meant to strengthen the efficiency and effectiveness of the Mechanism in practical ways. This is with a view to streamlining country reviews, providing for reporting and follow-up on the implementation of their outcomes, with a specific focus on technical assistance.

To this end, we have four priorities. First, we believe that the new phase should build on the experiences of States Parties during their first phase reviews and should not leave unaddressed challenges that were identified. Second, we should keep the review exercise both relevant and manageable for the States Parties under review and for their reviewers. Third, we should make sure that we follow up on the conclusions of our reviews. Finally, we should increase the visibility of technical assistance needs identified through the reviews and facilitate a more coordinated approach in addressing implementation gaps.

President,

As outlined by the Secretariat, many States Parties are already engaging with individuals and groups outside the public sector, such as civil society organisations, non-governmental organisations, and community-based groups, in their country reviews. Two years ago, in Atlanta, the European Union and its Member States joined 60 other States Parties in calling for enhanced transparency and inclusion of civil society in the IRM and we are convinced of the benefits of enhancing transparency and publicity in the second phase of the IRM. Small but impactful measures could be implemented, such as publishing a centralized calendar of country reviews, including a list of non-state actors consulted in the follow-up process in outcome documents, issuing a press communiqué with the UNODC once the review is completed, and submitting all relevant information for publication on the UNODC country profile, together with the executive summary, as well as through domestic platforms.

President,

The Implementation Review Mechanism is an important tool for the effective implementation of the UNCAC. Its second phase should ensure that States Parties can correctly identify where further efforts to combat corruption are needed, and where they can receive support in this regard. We thank Qatar and all States Parties joining the EU and its Member States in contributing to make this important resolution one of the main outcomes of CoSP11.

Thank you.