Parliament’s priorities for the EU’s first anti-corruption strategy

Stronger rules on conflicts of interest, political financing and revolving doors

Better cross-border cooperation, enforcement and asset recovery

Protection for independent bodies, journalists, judges and whistleblowers

Common monitoring and stronger rule of law conditionality

On Thursday, MEPs adopted their priorities for the Commission's imminent anti-corruption strategy to strengthen prevention, enforcement, and integrity across the EU.

In a resolution adopted by a show of hands, Parliament says the anti-corruption strategy must address evolving corruption risks linked to organised crime and new technologies, following the entry into force of the anti-corruption directive in May 2026.

Corruption erodes citizens’ trust, undermines democracy and the rule of law, distorts economic activity, and creates openings for organised crime and hostile actors. MEPs warn that perceived impunity can be as damaging to democratic legitimacy as corruption itself.

Prevention and integrity

Parliament calls for evidence-based corruption risk mapping, training, and stronger rules on public procurement, grants, and transparency. MEPs also ask for more harmonised standards on conflicts of interest, gifts, sponsored travel, asset declarations, and revolving doors, as well as clearer lobbying rules. They want common rules on political financing and transparency around political foundations and intermediaries. EU institutions should be held to strong anti-corruption standards, backed by a regular review from other EU institutions and possible changes to relevant EU rules.

Enforcement and cross-border action

MEPs call for closer cooperation and data-sharing 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 properly resourced, while the EPPO should receive more resources for serious cross-border corruption - and member states that have not yet joined should do so.

Parliament links corruption with organised crime, money laundering, and asset concealment, and calls for stronger action to trace, freeze, confiscate, and recover criminal proceeds. It also highlights risks linked to crypto-assets, opaque ownership structures, and digital tools, while reiterating its call to phase out investor residence (“golden visa”) schemes.

The role of watchdogs

MEPs call for civil society and anti-corruption watchdogs to be involved in all phases of the strategy, stronger protection for whistleblowers and investigative journalists, and independent judicial and anti-corruption authorities. Parliament also calls for full EU membership of the Council of Europe’s “Group of States against Corruption” (GRECO), so that EU institutions face the same scrutiny as national authorities.

Monitoring

MEPs want common indicators to assess anti-corruption policies and more specific, measurable recommendations in the Commission’s annual rule of law reports. They also call for stronger rule of law conditionality in the next EU long-term budget and, where relevant, anti-corruption targets in EU-funded programmes.

Background

The potential gains from further EU action to tackle corruption have been estimated to be worth up to €58.5 billion per year. A 2025 Special Eurobarometer found that 69% of Europeans believe corruption to be widespread in their country. Almost 60% of criminal networks engage in corruption in one way or another according to Europol.