24 October 2025 –
On 15 October 2025, the UNCAC Coalition and some members took part in the third plenary meeting of the EU Network Against Corruption, held in Brussels. Representatives from the European Commission provided an update on the European Union (EU)’s anti-corruption framework: The Directive on combating corruption, awaited since 2023, should be adopted by the end of the year, and the Commission announced plans to hold a wide-ranging consultation over the first-ever EU Anti-Corruption Strategy.
The meeting underscored the need to improve the quality, reliability, and interoperability of data collected across EU member states, for instance on public procurement, as well as to involve the judiciary and strengthen international cooperation, including with jurisdictions beyond the EU, to address increasingly complex corruption and money-laundering schemes across borders.
A recurring theme was shrinking civic space and how civil society actors are key for the prevention and detection of corruption. For instance, most irregularities detected regarding the European Union’s financial interests are linked to conflicts of interest and public procurement. An analysis covering 2007–2023 indicated that fraudulent irregularities related to corruption remain significantly underreported. However, it also revealed that around 20% of identified corruption cases originated from tips by informants or media investigations, underscoring the crucial role of civil society and independent journalism in bringing such cases to light.
As some participants stressed the need to consistently support civil society actors working on anti-corruption and to guarantee an enabling environment for civil society, we encouraged government representatives to concretely support transparency and civil society participation in the negotiations over the next phase of the UNCAC Implementation Review Mechanism (IRM) taking place on 5-7 November.
The EU Network against corruption was launched by the European Commission in May 2023 and brings together national authorities, civil society, researchers, EU agencies, and international organisations with the aim of strengthening collective action against corruption. The UNCAC Coalition has been participating in this forum since its first plenary meeting.