EU Parliament: greater cross-border cooperation to tackle corruption

Stricter rules on conflicts of interest and political funding. Joint monitoring and data sharing. Greater cross-border cooperation and stronger protection for independent bodies, journalists, judges and whistleblowers. Today, 8 October, MEPs set out their priorities within the European Commission’s new strategy against corruption, which aims to strengthen prevention and enforcement across the EU, following the entry into force of the Anti-Corruption Directive 2026/1021 last May.

In the current era of rapid digitalisation and globalisation, the main risks are linked to the evolution of organised crime and new technologies, but they have consequences not dissimilar to those seen decades ago: erosion of public trust, the weakening of democracy and the rule of law, and the distortion of economic activity. A special Eurobarometer survey conducted in 2025 found that 69 per cent of Europeans believe corruption is widespread in their own country. According to Europol, almost 60 per cent of criminal networks are involved in corruption in one way or another. Still looking at the figures, the potential benefits of further EU action to tackle corruption have been estimated at up to 58.5 billion euros per year.

Parliament has therefore proposed to carry out a risk assessment of corruption risks based on concrete data, training initiatives and stricter rules on public procurement, grants and transparency. MEPs are also calling for more harmonised rules on conflicts of interest, remuneration, sponsored travel, declarations of assets and the phenomenon of the ‘revolving door’ – meaning the transition between public office and roles in the private sector, or vice versa – as well as a clearer regulatory framework for lobbying. They also support the need for common rules on political funding and greater transparency for political foundations and intermediaries. To remain credible in an increasingly opaque world, the EU institutions should be subject to strict anti-corruption standards, underpinned by regular reviews.

Greater cooperation and data sharing must be implemented between national authorities and EU bodies, including Europol, Eurojust, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) and the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF). Anti-corruption bodies should be independent and adequately resourced, whilst the European Public Prosecutor’s Office should receive greater resources to tackle serious cases of cross-border corruption. To this end, the European Parliament is calling for more effective measures to trace, freeze, confiscate and recover the proceeds of crime, highlighting the growing risks associated with crypto-assets, opaque corporate structures and digital tools, whilst reiterating the need to revoke residence permits for investors and similar ‘golden visa’ programmes.

Finally, Parliament proposes a set of common indicators to assess anti-corruption policies and more specific and measurable recommendations in the Commission’s annual reports on the rule of law, calling for greater conditionality regarding the rule of law in the EU’s next long-term budget.