International newsletter of the HATVP – May-June 2025
May was marked by the publication of a report on integrity and the fight against corruption in Ukraine by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), by the 5th annual conference of the European Network of Lobbying Registries, as well as the meeting of the European Network on Public Ethics.
In June, the Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) adopted its annual report for 2024 at its 100th plenary meeting in Strasbourg.
EUROPEAN UNION (EU)
The General Court of the European Union issued a judgment on 14 May 2025 annulling the European Commission’s decision to refuse New York Times journalists access to several documents. The requested documents were messages exchanged between the President of the Commission and the CEO of Pfizer between 1 January 2021 and 11 May 2022. The Commission argued that it was not in possession of the messages. This presumption of non-existence and non-possession of the documents was rebutted and the General Court held that the Commission had not provided plausible explanations justifying its non-possession of the requested documents. Consequently, the General Court annulled the decision refusing access to the Commission’s documents. (Judgment of the General Court of the European Union, Case T-36/23, Stevi and The New York Times v Commission, 14 May 2025
Members of the EU Network against corruption met in Brussels on 11 June 2025, at the invitation of the European Commission, for a second thematic workshop. Representatives of Member States’ anti-corruption institutions, members of civil society, experts from international organisations, and academics were able to discuss corruption-mitigation measures in vulnerable sectors. Several sectors had been identified in a study published by the Commission in November 2024: the health sector, the financial sector, the construction sector, the defence and security sector, and the sports sector. The meeting provided an opportunity for stakeholders to exchange best practices. ( European Commission, 11 June 2025 )
INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
The 100th plenary meeting of the Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) was held from 3 to 5 June 2025 and was marked by the adoption of the annual report for 2024. The report highlights the importance of strengthening judicial independence and the separation of powers, and addresses the violations of integrity observed during elections held in several member states of the group. In a tense geopolitical context, technological innovation, irregular financing of political movements and foreign interference are the main current challenges identified by the report. While progress has been made in access to information and transparency in the 5th evaluation round, the report indicates limited progress regarding key public officials, particularly in the control of declarations and the control of contacts with interest representatives. A report on the key principles, major trends and main challenges in the context of GRECO’s 5th evaluation round was published simultaneously with the annual report. The plenary meeting was also an opportunity to review the launch in March 2025 of GRECO’s 6th evaluation round on the prevention of corruption and the promotion of integrity in local and regional authorities. GRECO’s next plenary meeting is scheduled for 18-21 November 2025. (Group of States against Corruption, 5 June 2025)
A GRECO delegation, led by the Group’s President David Meyer, visited Turkey on 18 June. A meeting was held with Turkish Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç, along with representatives of the country’s judicial authorities, the Turkish Grand National Assembly, senior officials, and the head of the Turkish delegation to GRECO, Ahmet Ulutaş. The meeting provided an opportunity to take stock of Turkey’s reforms in line with GRECO’s 4th round of recommendations, and to discuss the legislative and policy changes recommended by GRECO. While the GRECO delegation acknowledged the commitment made at the highest level to implement the recommendations, it expressed concern about the lack of implementation of several recommendations. (Group of States against Corruption, 19 June 2025)
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) published a report on integrity and the fight against corruption in Ukraine on 6 May. The report highlights the progress made and provide several recommendations. It is part of the OECD Programme on Ukraine, launched in June 2023, and aims to support the anti-corruption strategy, integrity standards, transparency and integrity in decision-making, the integrity of the judicial system, internal control and risk management, and whistleblower protection. (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, May 6, 2025 )
NON-GOUVERNEMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS
On 24 June 2025, Transparency International EU published an Assessment of the new rules for declaring meetings between parliamentarians and lobbyists adopted after Qatargate. Following the reforms undertaken after the Qatargate, the European Parliament’s code of conduct has been amended, and the transparency obligations relating to meetings between parliamentarians and their staff and lobbyists have been extended. From now on, all MEPs and their staff are required to publish their meetings with lobbyists, and not just MEPs with specific functions, such as rapporteur or shadow rapporteur. Thus, since the beginning of the current legislature, 31,617 appointments have been declared, which represents an increase of more than 300% compared to the first year of the previous mandate (2019-2024). While Transparency International welcomed these developments, the NGO noted alleged failures to meet these obligations on the part of MEPs. The NGO recommends that the obligations imposed on parliamentarians and their staff cover all meetings, whether formal or informal. (Transparency International, June 24, 2025 )
NETWORKS
On 27 May 2025, members of the European Network on Public Ethics met via videoconference to discuss recent European legislative developments. The Network members adopted a document on good practices in public ethics. This document was forwarded to the institutions of the European Union, in order to contribute to the negotiations on the anti-corruption directive proposal. (High Authority for Transparency in Public Life, June 12, 2025).
In May, the annual conference of the European Lobbying Registers Network, organised by the Slovenian Commission for the Prevention of Corruption, was held in Ljubljana. Members of the network attended a conference, during which several delegations presented recent developments in their national lobbying registers. The conference concluded with an exchange on the challenges related to the definition of lobbying, as well as the qualification of interest representatives in the different national systems.
EUROPE
On 10 June, the National Assembly adopted a European resolution aimed at extending the powers of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office to environmental offenses. The Public Prosecutor’s Office, created in 2017, is responsible for criminal offences that affect the EU’s financial interests. The regulation establishing the European Public Prosecutor’s Office nevertheless provides for the possibility of extending its powers, paving the way for the creation of a « Green Prosecutor’s Office ». (French National Assembly, 11 June 2025)