EU Statement on Agenda item 4: Prevention

EU Statement on Agenda item 4: Prevention

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, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Republic of Moldova, Serbia, United Kingdom and Ukraine align themselves with this statement.

President,

Corruption fundamentally undermines the rule of law, public trust, and fair economic competition. It weakens the ability of our institutions to deliver public services to our citizens. And the costs of corruption are borne disproportionately by the most vulnerable in our societies. Corruption not only hampers sustainable development across the globe but also undermines stability.

Across the European Union including its institutions, preventing corruption from the start is therefore a clear political priority.

Doing so requires an adequate monitoring of the situation in the first place. In 2020, the European Commission set up its own monitoring mechanism, the Rule of Law Report. This report is published each year with individual country chapters for all 27 EU Member States as well as four enlargement countries. The report examines developments, both positive and negative, in four key areas for the rule of law, including on anti-corruption. Since 2022, the Report includes concrete recommendations to all Member States. Every year, the Commission organises national workshops in Member States to further discuss the developments in the anti-corruption framework.

Member States' efforts to prevent corruption are a key component of the anti-corruption pillar in the report. In particular, the Commission assesses Member States' legal frameworks on topics such as conflicts of interests, lobbying and revolving doors, asset and interest disclosure, whistleblower protection as well as political party and campaign financing. It is a unique tool that provides a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of achievements and challenges in the prevention of corruption.

The 2025 Report included for the first time ever a focus on the EU Single Market highlighting the link between competitiveness and the rule of law. This nexus is particularly relevant for the prevention of corruption in high-risk areas, such as public procurement, healthcare or construction, which are specifically monitored.

Beyond the report, the Commission also established an EU Network against Corruption. The Network brings together all relevant stakeholders in the fight against corruption in the EU, including international organisations and civil society, to help stimulate increased cooperation and synergies among them.

The European Union will take an important next step in the prevention of corruption with new legislation. A provisional agreement was found just a few weeks ago. The Directive on combating corruption requires Member States to ensure that adequate corruption prevention measures are in place, notably by raising public awareness, conducting sector- or job-specific risk assessments, and promoting public service culture based on principles of integrity, transparency and accountability. We will continue to foster these principles across the EU, both within national administrations and the EU institutions.

The EU is also looking forward to initiating its second cycle implementation review focusing on chapters two and five of the Convention.

In consultation with civil society and community-based organizations, EU Member States will also adopt or update national strategies to make the fight against corruption a structured and long-term effort. Together with Greece, France and Italy, the EU organised a side-event on national anti-corruption strategies and frameworks on the first day of the Conference.

Let me also highlight the central role that education and awareness raising can play in building a strong culture of integrity in the long-term fight against corruption, through furthering values such as honesty, fairness and accountability in children and young people from an early age. The resolution sponsored by Austria, Chile and Slovenia on "Strengthening education activities and programmes on ethical values, integrity and anti-corruption for children and young people as a significant pillar to prevent corruption and enhance trust in public institutions" is an important reminder and call for action in this context that we fully support.

An important instrument to support the rule of law and fight against corruption is also the EU Whistleblower Directive. The Commission is currently preparing its evaluation of that Directive to assess how it has worked on the ground and to consider additional measures that might be necessary to further strengthen the protection of whistleblowers in Europe. We are also pleased to see that the Practical toolkit for developing whistleblower protection frameworks published by UNODC identifies numerous standards set out in the EU Directive as good practice.

Finally, as announced by President von der Leyen, the Commission will present in 2026 an EU Anti-Corruption Strategy. It will identify and address potential gaps, reinforce monitoring and improve the overall coherence in our ambition to foster integrity and fight corruption. The Strategy will build on the achievements of the Rule of Law Report and the Directive on combating corruption.

President,

Let me assure you that the European Union will remain a reliable partner in our shared efforts to prevent corruption. It remains our relentless mission to combat it wherever it occurs.

Thank you, President.