This February the European Commission launched the first EU-wide Anti-Corruption Report assessing the efforts of the 28 Member States in fighting corruption in the public and private sector. The findings reveal that corruption is a pervasive reality in the EU: corruption risks vary across individual countries but affect all member states and the report highlights significant failings in the national efforts to control corruption. This comes at a high price. It is estimated that corruption costs the EU around €120 billion per year – the equivalent of 1% of the EU’s GDP or the EU’s total annual budget and the impact on good governance, sound management of public money, competitive markets, and citizens’ trust in democratic institutions and processes is equally harmful.
The panel of this policy dialogue discussed whether the EU Anti-Corruption Report will help to make a difference in the fight against corruption in the Member states. Publication of the report was welcomed by all panellists as being a useful first step in combating corruption at an EU level, although there was general agreement that more needs to be done by the Commission as well as member states in the future.