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MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION (2026/2790(RSP))

On the upcoming EU anti-corruption strategy

B-10-2026-0423

on behalf of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs · Rapporteur: Javier Zarzalejos

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Parliament calls for a comprehensive EU anti-corruption strategy, planned by the Commission for adoption by the end of 2026, to complement national strategies and the Directive on Combating Corruption. It asks for stronger prevention, harmonised integrity rules for officials, stricter rules on revolving doors and lobbying, common rules on political financing, and protection for whistleblowers and journalists. It wants better detection and prosecution, more cooperation among EU agencies, reinforced independent anti-corruption bodies and the European Public Prosecutor's Office, and action against corruption linked to organised crime and crypto-assets. It calls for rule of law conditionality to protect the EU budget, EU membership of GRECO, anti-corruption priorities in enlargement, and the phasing out of investor residence schemes. It urges the Commission to pursue binding measures, provide sufficient resources, review the strategy regularly, and monitor implementation through common indicators and the annual rule of law report.

Key points

  1. Emphasises prevention as a central pillar and calls for training, evidence-based mapping of high-risk sectors, and legislative proposals on public procurement, grants and transparency.
  2. Calls for integrity, transparency and accountability commitments within the EU institutions, and guidelines for anti-corruption schemes in the public and private sectors.
  3. Calls for harmonised integrity standards on conflicts of interest, gifts, hospitality, asset declarations and sponsored travel for elected officials and senior office-holders.
  4. Calls for stricter rules on revolving doors with cooling-off periods, transparency on secondary paid activities of Members of Parliament, and clearer lobbying rules.
  5. Calls for funding for sector-specific corruption research, reintroduction of Eurobarometer measurement of corruption perceptions in EU institutions, and common rules on political financing and party funding disclosure.
  6. Recognises the role of civil society, investigative journalists and watchdogs, and calls for their involvement in developing, implementing and evaluating the strategy.
  7. Calls for improved cooperation and data sharing among Member States and EU agencies including Europol, Eurojust, EPPO, OLAF, the anti-money laundering authority and the future EU Customs Authority.
  8. Calls for digital tools such as data analytics and artificial intelligence to detect corruption, and for revision of agency mandates to strengthen the fight against corruption.
  9. Calls for strengthened independent anti-corruption bodies with common minimum standards, adequate resources, and monitoring of Member States' compliance; regrets steps to weaken such bodies.
  10. Calls for additional resources and reinforcement of the EPPO, protection of whistleblowers and journalists, and robust public procurement procedures.
  11. Calls for stronger cooperation to trace, freeze, confiscate and recover corruption proceeds, and for the strategy to address links between corruption, money laundering and organised crime.
  12. Calls for rule of law conditionality in the next multiannual financial framework, anti-corruption milestones in EU-funded programmes, EU membership of GRECO, and phasing out investor residence schemes.

Who is affected

  • Member States, which must publish national anti-corruption strategies, transpose the directive and implement GRECO recommendations.
  • EU institutions, which should adopt integrity, transparency and accountability standards and be subject to GRECO scrutiny.
  • Elected officials and senior office-holders, who would face harmonised integrity standards and stricter revolving-door rules.
  • Civil society organisations, whistleblowers and investigative journalists, whose protection and involvement in the strategy are called for.
  • Candidate countries, for which independent anti-corruption bodies are an accession benchmark.

Figures and deadlines

  • Corruption is estimated to cost the EU between EUR 179 billion and EUR 990 billion annually.
  • 69 % of EU citizens believe corruption is widespread in their country.
  • 73 % believe corruption exists in national public institutions and 70 % in local or regional public institutions.
  • Almost 60 % of known criminal groups engage in corruption.
  • The strategy is planned for adoption by the end of 2026.