A PACE anti-corruption platform
When is it appropriate for government members, civil servants or parliamentarians to accept gifts? When does legitimate lobbying cross the line into undue influence? What role can investigative journalists play in revealing corrupt practices? What should parliaments be doing to root out corruption? It also subverts public institutions, undermines the law and saps
citizens' trust in their governments. PACE’s new anti-corruption platform, being launched on 8 April in Strasbourg, will create a space for regular dialogue on this fundamental threat to European values, and help to promote transparency and honesty in public life. It will bring together elected representatives from the 47 parliaments of the Council of Europe and from non-member states, with experts and others to share information, spread good practices and debate how to deal with new forms of corruption. Parliamentarians will be engaged in a twin-action process: on one hand, they will act as responsible guardians in their national parliament; on the other, they will be pressing for speedy action to promote Council of Europe instruments and standards, and to implement the recommendations of GRECO – the Council of Europe’s anti-corruption body, which conducts country-by-country monitoring in this field. Conferences and meetings to be organised will address very specific issues such as the collaboration between parliamentarians and journalists in cases of corruption, and gender dimensions of corruption. These events will aim at producing effective recommendations able to translate legislators’ engagement into practical action on the ground. A series of seminars and workshops – with a regional or national focus – are also planned on topics such as:
• Mechanisms available to national parliaments to counter corruption
• Codes of conduct for parliamentarians
• The integrity of parliamentary staff
• Judicial corruption
